The Legend of Zelda: Links of Fate
by reithedragonboy
Summary: Since Prince Xagrun arrived, Hyrule's peace is slowly on the decline. After earning the trust of the king and council, he seems intent on unifying both his kingdom and Hyrule. Only Princess Zelda seems wary of the prince's motives and tries to stop him. Forced to rely on the ancient legend, can she drive Xagrun out? And just who is this strange man who shadows him wherever he goes?
1. Prologue

Hello everybody! Here's a new story that I've suddenly come up with and wanted to write down. To be honest though, I've been wanting to write a story based on "The Legend of Zelda" world for a while. The only problem was that I wasn't sure how to get the story going. I didn't want to make a story that followed the same style to some degree as the games. At the same time, I knew I was going to have to change my perception of the characters since Link is actually going to talk in my story. Believe me on this; whether or not a character talks completely changes how the other characters around them act.

But yeah, I think I've finally managed to come up with a suitable idea. Some of the characters might be OOC (out-of-character), but that's the result of having a Link who can actually talk back. There are also going to be some characters that are completely mine, so don't be too jarred out of the story if you come across an unfamiliar name. Other than that, this will probably not be your typical Zelda story or storyline that is usually seen in the games. I want to make Zelda a bit different, and I think that this is going to be a good start for it.

Now that I've gotten all that out of the way, I'll leave you all alone to read this new story. Please don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think about it. There's not too much on here since it's pretty much the prologue, but I hope it's enough to at least grab your attention for the next chapter. With that said, until the next chapter to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!

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**Prologue**

"We've arrived, milord," the man said as he and the man he was charged to guide arrived at the front of the majestic doors to Hyrule Castle. "If I may say, it's quite unusual for you to be conducting business here in the evening hours. I take it that you have something of importance to discuss with His Majesty?"

"My business is of no concern to you," the other, a young man speaking in a tone that echoed his state of power, replied. He ran a black gloved hand through his thick black hair as though it had just been tossed against heavy winds. "Your job is to merely see that my travels are safe and without incident. You best remember that before you overstep your bounds again. Otherwise, you'll find yourself escorting my horses from their stables!"

"My apologies, my prince," the escort humbly stated with a bow. He then quickly went to the doors and opened them. A third person, a man whose face was obscured by a black hood, silently followed them from a distance.

The Hylian guards that stationed by the doorway saw this exchange but paid no heed to them. In fact, they even stood at attention as both men entered the castle, their metal armor clinking slightly because of it. The royal crest of Hyrule was proudly adorned on their chests, its golden brilliance reflecting off of the evening sun.

After the three entered the grand halls, the doors closed. Despite being large, it seemed rather devoid of life apart from the occasional soldier standing guard. Every pillar was cut from the finest marble, the walls also of the same build and covered with beautifully woven tapestries depicting generations of the royal family. All the stones had a brilliant shine as the torches that hung on the walls flickered. What little light that was left from the setting sun also illuminated the hall through the wondrously crafted yellow stained glass ceiling which helped give the area its golden glow. All those involved with the building of this castle were no doubt proud at the work they did in raising this wondrous representation of the kingdom.

Wasting no time marveling at the surrounding beauty, the trio immediately made their way down a corridor to their left. While not as big or grand as the main hall, the ambiance of a regal dwelling was still apparent. No longer was the area bathed in a pleasant golden light; it was now a natural color with flickers of orange showing from the torches. Soldiers and maids alike appeared to frequent these corridors, and all stood at attention as the three walked on by without paying any heed to it all.

"Xagrun," a woman addressed bluntly once the trio made it to the far end of the corridor that was both secluded and had two separate paths. They were heading down the one that led to the royal gardens before being stopped by the addressor.

"…Princess Zelda," the lord said in a tone just above a whisper. His mouth curled into a smile that was part smirk before turning around to see the woman.

Standing in the other hallway that led deeper into the castle was a young woman dressed in a beautifully tailored dress. Its color was akin to pink that had been touched with the slightest of red, the hem nearly touching the ground but raised enough to expose her simple yet equally elegant brown high heel shoes. The straps were of pure ivory white and were the only things that hung around her bare shoulders. Her blond hair which bordered on brown was combed back and flowed naturally over her shoulders. The only thing keeping it from unduly flying about was the silver tiara that marked her royal lineage.

"You're dismissed!" Xagrun waved his hand at his escort who merely bowed before becoming scarce. The other hooded man remained at his side. Zelda merely nodded at the guards stationed in the area who took it as their cue to leave. It was now only the three of them in the secluded hallway.

"I'm pleased that you called me here for this meeting, milady," he started while keeping the same half-smirk. "There are some matters that I wish to discuss with you."

"And I as well," she agreed while moving towards the other.

"Then I hope we have the same concern in mind. You see, your father and I have been in talks for a while concerning the wellbeing of our nations. We've already drafted a treaty, and the members of his council have inscribed their names on it. However, His Majesty cannot sign his name until _all_ members have done so. You are the last of his advisors whose name has yet to be on the treaty. Might I ask why that is?"

"Because your treaty is hardly beneficial to the people of my kingdom," the princess replied as she stopped a couple feet away from Xagrun. "I know most of the members on the council and their political stand on this issue. I also know that most of them would never agree to such a deal which entails your forces occupying our towns and villages. The only reason why they would suddenly turn against their ideals would be because you cast a spell over them! My father refuses to talk to me about the subject despite being both his daughter and closest advisor. But I know him, and he would never agreed to have your men occupying our villages during the course of your stay."

"My dear princess, why must you be so suspicious of me? I've been here under the grace of diplomacy for all but two weeks. I haven't done anything for you to warrant such suspicions. The presence of my soldiers in your towns is merely a sign of my goodwill. They are willing to grant protection to your people alongside your own soldiers."

"If it's really goodwill, then why have I heard of stories concerning your men forcibly taking over my soldiers' posts? I've even heard of some bullying the local farmers! Some are barely able to get by; your men's harassment isn't making their lives any easier."

"Your people are merely feeling uneasy at the introduction of an unfamiliar power into their simple lives," the young man explained while leaning against the wall as though he owned the place. "Some unsavory rumors are bound to fly about in such times. I wouldn't pay them much mind. Is that the only reason you refuse to sign?"

"Don't think you can fool everyone with your act, Xagrun," Zelda replied suddenly, her tone carrying heavy disdain. "You may have wooed your way into the hearts of my father and the council, but I can see right through you. I don't know what it is, but the wellbeing of both our kingdoms is not what you truly desire."

"Ha, I see why you've been granted the right-hand seat in the council! The fact that you're His Majesty's daughter must've played no role in such a decision. Your wisdom and foresight in such matters is truly remarkable.

"However, our wellbeing is of utmost priority to me," Xagrun emphasized before making his way towards the open doorway at the end of the hall which led to the royal garden. "Just imagine it for a moment, Princess Zelda. With the forces of both Hyrule and the Gerudo tribe combined, there won't be any other kingdom who would dare plot an attack against us. Our numbers will far exceed that of the enemy military, and that would be enough to ensure an extended period of peace for our people if not an everlasting one."

"And I agree with you on that," she conceded while following closely behind. The hooded man also followed at a further distance. "Peace through strength would be a wonderful thing. But like I said, there have been unfavorable stories going about regarding your soldiers. What good is peace if the kingdom isn't able to resolve its inner turmoil? Even if I didn't have a problem with the treaty itself, I would never sign it knowing that there's unrest with my people due in part to your presence."

"Then perhaps we should find a way to fix that." Xagrun stopped short of the door and instead chose to lean against the doorway. The black cape clasped around his neck fluttered a bit against the breeze. "And I believe I know just the remedy. Truth be told, you've been the object of my fancy for quite a while. I know that your people hold you in high regard, quite possibly higher than His Majesty himself. Were we to wed, then perhaps they would become more open to the presence of my forces. Our marriage would be proof of your acceptance, and that should reflect to the people in time."

"I would rather fall into an eternal slumber than allow myself to bow before you as my king and husband!"

"That may be how you feel, but don't forget that such a thing might be the only way to properly unify our countries. This treaty can only go so far. But regardless, I will not pull my forces out from your towns and villages. Even if I didn't have the blessings from the king, it's perfectly legal for my men to occupy your lands. So long as I'm here, they must do everything they can to ensure my protection. If it means that their techniques at keeping the peace are put to question by your citizens, then so be it. It wouldn't do you good if I were to die here and talks of conspiracy are allowed to float about."

"I hope you're not threatening the well-being of my people, Xagrun. While you may be a prince, even you have boundaries with what you can and cannot say."

"Oh, I assure you it's not a threat," the prince replied with a low chuckle before turning around to face Zelda. "I'm merely stating the truth. My men are an extension of my power, and I don't intend relinquish it from your kingdom. As a visiting royal who brings a proposition that ensures our prosperity, my peaceful occupation is perfectly legal."

Instead of answering back, the princess kept quiet. She continued to stare defiantly at the prince. Said prince kept his half-smirk smile while looking on in triumph. The hooded man was still a respectable distance from them both and silently watched the exchange.

"I see you've realized the futility of arguing over this point," he continued on. "You're a wise princess; you know there's nothing you can do to best me on this. With such wisdom, you must also know that this may be the only way to ensure your kingdom's safety. The Gerudo can prove to be wonderful allies; we are also known to be terrible enemies. Even if only for the sake of your people, you should consider signing the treaty. That may be the only way to ensure the staying of my hand from calling upon an unfavorable war."

"That's an interesting offer you bring before me," Zelda sarcastically replied. "With you being the descendent of a mad man, such a suggestion actually sounds peaceful."

"Your Highness, please don't put me together with _him_." The prince actually looked a bit insulted at the comparison. "I may be his descendant, but I'm nothing like him. I'm actually trying to ensure peace between our kingdoms. I don't want a war, but I will consider it if you continue to deny His Majesty the opportunity to even accept my offer."

"You talk about peace, but your actions in running your kingdom say otherwise. I've seen how you rule over your people, Xagrun. You put them under martial law with little to no freedom for moving about without supervision. Even a Hyrulian representative living within your borders can't walk about without a Gerudo soldier accompanying her."

"As it is with my citizens, these are precautions to ensure her safety. It wouldn't do good to have my people be killed by an assailant who's hidden themselves amongst the masses. The nighttime hours are notorious for brigands to come out and hunt for their next victims. And in terms of your dear representative, I wouldn't want a needless war to start between us because of her uncalled-for death."

"And then there's the tactics you're known to employ during negotiations with your neighboring countries," the princess continued on without regard for the other's answer. "It's already known throughout the land that you coerce and strong-arm the Zora Kingdom of Hylia. Because their stream cuts through your valley, you threatened to dam it up if they refused your demands. Then there's the Gorons in the mining town on Death Mountain whose shipment of Gerudo Ore you withheld until they gave you unrestricted access to their mines. Were it not for the fact that Kakariko Village was half owned by my kingdom, you probably would've tried to pull your influence over those people as well! And I've yet to speak about the strange company that you're known to surround yourself with as of late."

Upon this comment, the silent hooded man grunted in response. His hood shifted a bit, and Zelda could see a bit of white from what was no doubt a mask he wore. Clearly, the person took every precaution to make sure his identity was kept hidden from prying eyes.

"You say you're not like him, but that's far from the truth! Everything I've mention proves that you rule through threats and extortion. You don't try to act with diplomacy, so the fact that you're here even trying such a tactic is suspect. That's why I don't trust the premise you've presented about your treaty of peace. If given a choice, I would rather that he were here instead of you. At least he had the courage to show his face before my ancestors before even bothering to try taking over Hyrule. He dared to get his hands dirty and would never take the coward's way out for power through extortion alone!"

Before Zelda could say anymore, she felt something painfully connect with her right cheek. The action was so sudden; she fell to the ground.

"I suggest you mind what you say, Princess Zelda," Xagrun warned in a dangerously low tone. He had since withdrew his outstretched hand that was used to slap the girl. "You're right now treading on thin ice. Don't forget that my men are stationed in your towns and villages. All I have to do is say the word and they'll raze your land from the inside-out. I'm prepared to take a no on my treaty as an answer. The question now is are you ready for the consequences that will arise from your stubbornness? Are you prepared for all the lives that will no doubt be lost weighing down on your consciousness?"

The princess merely picked herself off the ground without a word. Her tiara was knocked askew, and she adjusted it once she was back on her feet. The prince made no move to help her, and his silent follower continued to stand afar from them as though he were merely a bystander. There was a good chance that the Hylian guards would have arrested the man in for assaulting the princess regardless of his social class if they were around.

"Understand that you have no power to fight against me on this," the prince finally said. "Whether you sign the treaty or force me to have my men destroy your lands from the inside-out, your kingdom will be under my control. I only hope that you choose the former as I would hate to destroy the beauty of Hyrule. That and I've worked quite hard to get on both your father and the other council members' good side."

"…Don't think for a moment that you've won, Xagrun!" she replied defiantly. "It's true that I haven't the power to stop you. However, you're walking along the same path as he did all those years ago. When Hyrule was threatened, the legendary Hero of Time appeared and saved us from his tyrannical rule. You're already on that same path. I trust that even you remember how the ancient legend goes. If you intend on trying to take control of this kingdom, then my resistance will be the least of your worries."

"If the hero incarnate does exist, then why hasn't he shown in the two weeks I've been here? Surely he would've at least heard the rumors about my men by now."

"But you can't deny that he's out there somewhere. After all, both you and I are living proof that the legend is true. And when the Hero does come around, you'll meet the same fate as your ancestor did!"

"…We shall see soon enough. But until then, don't put all your hopes on the teachings of decrepit old scholars. Now if you don't mind, I'm afraid we'll have to end our meeting here. As stimulating as it was talking with you, I've some important business I need to discuss with His Majesty. By your leave, Princess Zelda." Xagrun gave a mock bow before heading out into the royal gardens where the king's chambers lied on the other side. His shadow calmly followed suit without any regards to Zelda as he passed by.

"…I will stop you, Xagrun; whether it's by my own efforts or that of the Hero's!" Zelda said once the two were out of earshot. She then walked in the opposite direction towards the castle's kitchen in search of a cold cloth to put on her cheek that the prince had struck.

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Well, that's the prologue for you. I figured that it'd be good to start out with a bit of political drama. If you strip away the fantastical adventures that are the game, then you would probably see a lot more political tension between the different kingdoms. And being that The Legend of Zelda is kind of set in like the middle ages where lands are separated by kingdoms, I thought that it would be good to have such tensions.

Before you guys go asking me in the reviews how to pronounce Xagrun's name, it's like this. X is like a z, the "a" is like the a in apple, and "grun" is like "grunt". Hopefully, that will make the pronunciation of his name less confusing. I created this name because I wanted a villain who's name both looked and sounded rough. The syllables in the name are somewhat rough in nature, and I feel that an X in a person's name makes it look rough. That and you rarely see the letter in a name, so I figured why not?

In terms of Zelda's character, I've always felt that she had the ability to hold her own provided that Ganon hasn't incapacitated her first. Whenever she's already rescued and helps Link with killing Ganon, she always seems sure of herself and confident. I tried to reflect that in this little bit of political tension while also making her sound more like an independent woman instead of a classic damsel in distress. That might happen later on in the story, but I promise that Zelda's character isn't going to be mainly damsel in dire distress or dressing up like a Sheikah warrior just to hide in plain sight.

And for those of you who hate the somewhat proper way of speaking I have Zelda and Xagrun talking, don't be too miffed by it. Being that they're royalty, I can't see them talking as casually as a regular commoner would. With that said, not everybody is going to be talking as formally as I've made them do. It will most likely be a mix of casual and proper depending on who's talking to who.

So yeah, that's all the explanations that I'll go into as of now. I hope that you enjoyed this story and will take the time to leave a review. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on this site everybody!


	2. Peaceful Mornings

Hello everybody! Yes, this is a new chapter I'm putting up after having only published this story yesterday. It's right now my mandatory one week break between quarters in college, so I have some time to concentrate solely on writing. If I'm lucky, I should have, at the most, five chapters up before next week's over. Then again, I'm probably being a little bit overzealous since I do have summer work training to go to all next week. At least it doesn't have to consist of homework and taking tests.

But yeah, just don't get too used to exceptionally speedy updates for this. It's only because I'm on a break from school that I'm able to do this. That and I was too happy with the idea I have for this story's plot that I just had to write it. And before I forget, this story doesn't really belong to any one particular timeline in the franchise. So don't think that it takes place, for example, after Ocarina of Time if Future Link defeats Ganon just because I referenced the Hero of Time in the prologue. At best, there will be a mesh of references from the games that will come together into this one separate story. And as an added note, I used the Ocarina of Time's geology when referencing Lake Hylia. Remember how the lake formed from a river that cut through Gerudo Valley? It's those little references that I'll try to poke in every now and then.

That's pretty much all I have to say right now. yeah, not that interesting of an opening author's note, huh? But I would like to thank some of my reviewers who actually took the time to review the first chapter. Not a lot of people do that for new stories on their first chapter, so I really thank those of you who took that time to make one.

**Anarion Star-Dragon:** Thanks for being the first reviewer and having just reviewed in general. I'm glad that my prologue was well enough to capture your attention. Believe me when I say that it was a bit difficult to create that political tension between Zelda and Xagrun that actually made sense.

**GreenFantasy64:** Like it was with **Anarion**, I'm glad that the first chapter was able to catch your attention. To be honest, this story is kind of an experiment. By that, I mean I'm actually trying to use techniques I learned from my writing classes. Shorter dialogues, more details of the surrounding while not bogging the story down with it, adding in the little quirks of the characters as they speak; I hope these two chapters show those traits at least a bit.

**ESopre:** Well, I hope the addition of a new chapter will be enough to convince you that I'm continuing with this story. The plot I have for this is just too good for me to abandon. I'm glad I was able to catch your attention; as I said in the prologue, this is my first Zelda story. Even with Zelda probably a bit OOC when talking with Xagrun, I'm glad it didn't bother you as much or at all like it would for some video game purists.

And yeah, that's it for my shout-outs since there's only three of you right now. Thanks for your support on this, and I'll see you on the next update to this story! Now enjoy this new chapter and official start to the story!

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**Chapter 1: Peaceful Mornings**

"Wake up!" a young persistent voice called. "Come on, Link; get up already!"

At the same time, there was a rooster outside ringing in a new day. Whether it was from the boy's persistence or the crowing rooster; the teenager woke up and started blinking the sleep out from his eyes.

"Mornin', Connor," the teen greeted with a yawn. He slowly pulled the covers off of him and sat up. His bare chest was exposed to the brisk morning air that wafted in from a glassless window, but it posed him no discomfort. He looked out said window and saw the sun had barely started to rise. Its magnificent beauty only just began to peek over the horizon and painted it in a wonderful blaze of orange. The little clouds had a dark violet - almost black - hue to them which slowly grew lighter as the morning grew brighter.

"Come on; hurry and get up!" Connor eagerly tugged at Link's arm in an effort to make him move faster. "You said you were going to teach me how to fish this afternoon if we got our work done early."

"Wh-what?" Link murmured in confusion as he ran a hand through his mass of unkempt blond hair. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he finally realized what the other was saying. "Oh, I almost forgot! I did promise you that last night. Sorry about that. Just let me get ready and we'll start on our chores in a few minutes."

"Great; I'll go and get started on chopping the wood! Oh, I already made you something to eat. I left it on the table."

Looking towards a corner of the small cottage that they lived in, the teen noticed a plate of food sitting on a worn table. It was but a simple breakfast consisting of a piece of salt pork and some potatoes, yet it was all they could afford at this time. However, what quickly caught his attention was the small portion of beans that sat alongside the pork.

"Connor," Link called out just as the boy was about to leave the cottage. "I didn't buy any beans when I went to the market yesterday. Where'd you get them?"

"Uh, I just found them lying next to our fence!" the other sheepishly explained before trying to make a quick exit.

"Connor!"

The young boy immediately came back into view with an equally sheepish smile on his face. "…Alright, it wasn't exactly by our fence. To be honest…, it kind of fell off of a wagon that was passing by. I just came out to get the water for cooking when it happened, but they were already gone when I picked them up. I didn't see who was driving the wagon, so I figured I'd bring it in and make breakfast with it. I mean, they were already kinda too far away for me to chase them down."

The older boy merely stared incredulously at the other in silence. He clearly wasn't buying into the story of foodstuff just conveniently falling onto the road.

"I know the neighbors like you, Connor; but they don't like you that much. Seriously, you're going to get us in trouble one day for this. It's hard to believe that you're my little brother sometimes.

"Still, you're right that it's too late to go returning it," he conceded while making his way to the table. "Now that it's got your grubby paws all over it, there's not much we can do. Just don't go pulling stunts like this again, okay? Now hurry up and start on your chores; I'll be out in a few minutes."

Connor silently nodded before disappearing once again. Link quickly ate his breakfast and washed his plate, all the while wondering where his little brother got the beans. He took a slightly torn white shirt resting at the foot of his bed and put it on before going outside.

Both boys lived by themselves on a small plot of land on the outskirts of a small farming village near Hyrule Castle. Most of their land was dedicated to farming, although that was not much considering the overall size of it. They used to have more, but the overall workload along with hard times over the years forced them to sell off most of it. In the end, they only kept what they needed to feed themselves and earn a meager living.

The upside to having little land was that its upkeep was easier. The daily maintenance of crops and the chickens that freely roamed around were easy to do. However, that did not also mean it all could be done quickly. Most of the tasks were time-consuming, especially if the crops were infested with bugs or if the chickens were being especially lively. Still, it had to be done if they wanted to ensure the best produce possible to sell back at market, and that was right now the main reason why they even had any money.

The cottage they lived in was rather small, the paint having faded and starting to chip due to age. There were signs of repair jobs all about the building, but it was only enough to keep it going until the next fix. The only things that seemed to be in the best condition possible were the wire fence around the crops and a hand-pulled wagon set towards the side of the cottage. Even then, it was clear they could do with better repair work.

"What do you want me to do with the wood, Link?" Connor called out. He was standing next to a tree whose trunk was bent just so that it worked well as a makeshift table. Beside it was a large pile of wood. "You want me to chop 'em?"

"And risk having you lose a finger or two?" Link playfully replied. "I'll take care of it; you go and get the chickens into the coop. And don't forget to pick up any eggs they might've laid."

Within the next hour, the big pile of wood was nearly completed. He had first sifted through the pile to see if there were any pieces that could be used for repair work before chopping down the rest into firewood. He was constantly going back and forth from the chopping station to a bin at the side of the house dedicated to freshly chopped wood. All he had to get the job done was a little hatchet, but it did the work just as well as a big axe with a few extra swings required.

On the other hand, Connor was getting the workout for the day. All of the chickens had been let out of the coop last night so they could roam about. They probably only had about ten, but they always ran away the moment he got close. It was an effort and excitable victory when he was able to get one and bring it to the chicken coop. That in itself took an hour to complete; he was now in the process of looking for any eggs the chickens might have laid.

With the wood chopping finished, Link took a small bundle of wood and headed towards a portion of the perimeter fence that needed repair. He had a box of nails and a hammer in his free hand and quickly went to work.

"Hi, Link!" a woman's voice greeted him not two minutes into his new task. Looking up, he saw a girl with long red hair coming down the path. She was wearing a simple summer dress that also doubled as field work clothes. Behind her was a horse tied to and pulling a wagon filled with various goods.

"Hey, Malon!" he greeted back, deciding to take the chance to rest. "How's things going with your family and the farm?"

"Oh, we're doing fine considering," she replied with a friendly smile. She had her horse stop by the fence. "It's been a bad year for rain, but we managed to keep our crops alive. It's a miracle that we managed to grow enough to feed the animals. If we do it right, then I think we'll be able to make it through this year.

"And how are you and Connor doing? I see he's actually working hard today." She nodded towards the younger boy who was on all fours with a basket beside him. He was still searching for eggs and looking through every small bundle of grass for them. He seemed completely oblivious to Malon's arrival.

"Heh, the little rascal's only working hard because I promised to take him fishing," Link explained. "I don't think he'd be willing to do this much work if it weren't for that. Still, this is pretty rare where he's actually pulling his weight. And I thought the chickens would give him a harder time."

The two continued to silently watch Connor until he finally looked up and noticed their visitor. He gave a quick wave to her and she responded back in kind. He then picked up the basket and walked over to the two.

"That's a lot of stuff you got there, Malon," the young boy eagerly replied. Despite his abundance of energy, he took conscious care to not wildly swing the basket of eggs around. "Are you going to the market today?"

"I am, Connor. I needed to pick up a new saddle for Epona, so I thought I'd take some things with me and put them up for sale while I was there." She gave her horse an affectionate pat on the head; the horse whinnied in joy. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed before heading to the wagon and taking out a small crate. "I got something for you two!"

"Oh, you shouldn't have," Link said with an appreciative smile as he accepted the crate from her. Looking inside, he saw that there were some vegetables along with a few bottles of milk securely set on the side. There was even some fresh fruit lying on top of everything so it would not be squashed. Although the contents were small, there was enough food in there to easily last them a few days.

"Don't start with me today with your modesty. You and Connor have helped me and my dad out so much with this season's crops. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you two, as well. It's the least we can do to thank you!"

"And you know how much we appreciate this," the blond answered back with a smile. He then handed the crate off to his little brother. "Could you go put all this away in the house? And bring back the crate when you're done."

"Aww, why do I have to put away the stuff now? I swear; you're starting to act a lot like dad." Despite his complaining, Connor did as he was told and made his way into the cottage with the crate in tow.

"Hmm, he reminds me of a certain someone when he was twelve," Malon said in a teasing tone. "I wonder who that could be."

"Oh, come on; I wasn't that bad," Link chuckled as he turned his attention back to the girl. "I like to think I changed these past five years."

"Well, you did become more reliable in helping with all the heavy lifting. I guess that's a good change."

"That's it? Is that really all you see in me after the years we've known each other? You sure know how to hurt a guy." He quickly added in a playfully wounded pout to show he was just kidding around.

"Oh, there are a few other things I could probably mention," she added with a soft smile. "But I think you already know about all that."

Before they could continue with their intimate conversation, Epona started to become restless. She began shifting around on her hooves and was snorting irritably. Apparently, she did not like staying put for too long.

"What's the matter, girl?" Link asked as he quickly hopped over the fence and walked up to the horse. He then started petting her head gently and calmly. "Don't tell me you're starting to get impatient. I'll try not holding you up for much longer. Think you can wait just a couple more minutes for me? I promise I'll be quick."

Whether or not the horse understood him, she seemed comforted by his soft words. She soon calmed down and was back to being somewhat docile.

"You really have a way with animals, Link," Malon stated as she watched the exchange. "It's almost like you have some magical touch when it comes to Epona. She's always willing to listen to you. It takes me a few minutes sometimes just to get her to calm down. When are you going to let me in on your secrets?"

"Once I find some that I'm hiding, I'll let you know. The girl just happens to like being around me, is all."

"Alright, Malon; here's your crate back!" Connor suddenly yelled as he came running towards the two.

"Thank you, Connor," she said as she accepted back her crate.

"What do you say to her?" Link reminded while looking at Connor in annoyance for having yelled for no reason.

"Thanks for the food!" The boy then quickly ran off towards the chicken coop where he took a broom and started cleaning the area around it.

"I sometimes wonder if he acts like that on purpose. He's going to drive me crazy one of these days. Anyway," the blond added with a smile, "it was nice of you to stop by. Tell your dad I said thanks for the food."

"I will." She then leaned forward and gave Link a quick peck on the cheek before fixing her hair and taking Epona's reigns. "I'll see you later. Hope you catch lots of fish on your fishing trip."

"Yeah, we'll probably need it. And you be careful on the road! Who knows what Xagrun's guards are doing to travelers right now?"

As Malon continued on with her travels to the village market, Link could not help but smile. She and her family have always tried to look out for him and Connor when their dad was out at work. Now that he was gone, they always tried to sneak in some support disguised as thanks for things that Link had helped them out with.

He was not going to hide it; they were both not doing well in terms of money. The upkeep of the farm was practically their only source of income and an assurance that they could afford to put food on the table. He was never one to go around asking for help even when they really needed it, although everybody in the village were always willing to lend him a hand every now and then. Just like it was now, they always handed him items in lieu of payment for having helped them with something before. As much as he wanted to refuse, he knew they were going to keep trying until he took it.

"Link, I think I need some help!" Connor called out, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What is it?" he asked as he walked towards the coop. He was not even near it before noticing what the problem was. "Don't tell me…"

"I-It just broke while I was sweeping," the boy explained as he had in both his hands a piece of the broom's wooden handle. There was no snapping sound earlier, so it must have already been on the verge of breaking when he was using it. "I'm serious! I don't know why it happened; it just did!"

"Were you trying to swing it around like a sword again?" All he received as an answer was silence and a sheepish smile. "I thought so," he sighed. "You're going to end up breaking more than just a broom handle one of these days. Lucky for you, I found a piece of wood that should work as a replacement handle. Just give me that thing and go start pulling weeds around the crops."

The other soundlessly gave him the remnants of the broom before going to tend to the crops. As immature Connor could be at times, even he knew when to shut up. This definitely felt like one of those times. Link kept a watchful eye on him to make sure that he was going to the crop field before heading back to the fence where his repair work was waiting for him to finish.

* * *

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. I tried to make it seem like a slice of life moment for Link and Connor. And yes, I have Link with a little brother here. he's always seen without a family related to him by blood (Wind Waker excepted); I thought it'd be a good change of pace and would help flesh out his character. Even with the idea used only once, I think having a sibling would make the game dynamic a bit different if done correctly. And I thought making the chapter title contrast with how the prologue played out would be a good touch.

But yeah, you could also see this as an actual first chapter. I took care to not show any tie-ins with the prologue, so one could actually skip that and head right into the story itself. It might not make the fullest sense, but the prologue, in my opinion, is more of a review of what's to come and can stand on it's own as a short story.

And I thought making Connor into a typical little brother would add to some comic relief for the story. I hope you like his character; I put in as much thought as I could for his debut scene. And there was also the introduction of Malon. Seriously, I was listening to "Hyrule Symphony" on youtube when Epona's Song came up. That's when I came up with the idea of her coming down the road and talking with them. I also purposefully tried to have a close conversation between her and Link with the little kiss at the end. I'm not going to say whether or not they're just very close friends or boyfriend/girlfriend. I tried to leave it ambiguous for you to interpret for yourselves. However you want to think it, it won't really change the story.

Yeah, I'm really trying a lot of new things on this story that I've never done before both technique and content-wise. I hoped it ended up turning out well for you. With that said, please don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think about it and what you feel could be better. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!


	3. The Shadows in Peaceful Days

Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter to this story. I'm really trying to belt this out as quickly as I can so as to get all the introductory stuff out of the way. Since I'm going to be in my summer job soon, I want to set the story up as fast as possible in case I'm forced to go on hiatus. That and I'm taking summer courses this year which run in tandem with my summer job. That means my summer will be a terrible one. Just a warning in case you suddenly see me stop writing for a while. It won't mean that I've given up on this; it'll just be that work and classes take priority over this.

With that said, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I'll tell you all now; this chapter will have two parts to it. I won't say much more on it, but I'm just letting you know so you won't be too off-guard when the change happens. However, I did try to make it as smooth as possible, but I am sorry if it still manages to somehow sound choppy.

I'm really proud as to how this story is coming out. When I first went to college, I thought majoring in creative writing was kind of stupid. I mean, I've been writing since I started high school and thought there was nothing to writing except knowing the basic rules of grammar and whatnot. It wasn't until I took the college courses in writing did I learn there's more to it than just the rules. Like I said in the last author's note, the structure of dialogue and their overall believability can either make or break a story. This story is the first one I've made after attending a few of those classes, so I hope that the difference in this story from the rest of my others is somewhat apparent.

**violingirl4102:** Thanks for leaving me a review. To be honest, I wasn't thinking about Wind Waker when I decided to have Link with a little brother in this. But even if that were in my mind, I'm not going to make Connor like her! Like you said, Aryll was too much of a goody two-shoes apart from sailing around the world with the pirates for a bit of adventuring. It was mainly to put into contrast Link's sense of responsibility which he always has in all the games he's in. I just thought it'd be a good twist to add in brotherly responsibility as well.

And I also make it a note to be conscious about my grammar on here. If there are any mistakes, then you know it's an honest one. Just like it is with you, it irks me when there's a story on here that has potential yet is marred with an unacceptable amount of grammatical mistakes. Being an English major and specializing in creative writing, this is something I just can't stand. So if you do happen to see any mistakes in my writing, please don't be too upset as it's not done consciously by me.

**ESopre:** Thanks for leaving me another review. I guess you really like my story. Nice to know I'm doing something right here! But yeah, I figured that having a blood relationship would make Link's character a bit more complex. He's always seen with the responsibility of saving both Zelda and the world; it's all a bit of a one-sided responsibility. Now that he has a brother, things might get a bit complicated in the future. I honestly haven't thought that far into the story yet since I'm a guy who likes to write as he goes along. I really have no idea where the story will take me, and I'm basically as much in the dark as you are.

And in terms of Malon and Link, I purposefully tried to make the conversation between them as ambiguous as possible. I don't want to make their relationship into something definite; rather, I want you as the reader to interpret for yourself what they are. You can either see her words "there are a few other things I could probably mention" as privately sexual or just friendly banter. You can also see the kiss as a token of thanks or an exchange between boyfriend/girlfriend. I hope I did a good job with the ambiguity, although your review seems to indicate that I have in your eyes.

**Skittycreamstar:** Thanks for your review. I literally just saw this as I was posting up this new chapter. You made it into my reviewer shout-out just in time! I agree with you; Zelda requires a lot of rescuing in most of the games. They do try to compensate by making her not so willing to just give up, but she always ends up being kidnapped and not doing much on her own. At least Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword had her play a more proactive role. That is what I'm trying to shoot for in a sense, a woman who is trapped by impending evil but will not step down regardless of the dangers.

And with how her "bad-ass" attitude is, I wouldn't be surprised if she found herself in an actual fight or two. Like I said to **ESpore**, I have no idea about the story from this point forward. I'm the kind of writer who can create something so long as there's a beginning and an end. Even when there's no middle, I can make a story out of what I have. It makes for an interesting journey for me as a writer, but I like the feeling of being in the dark as though I'm the one reading it for the first time. With that said, I don't know if I can make it so that she'll be in a fight. However, I will try my hardest to make that a reality since that's also what I want!

Now that we've gotten all the shout-outs out of the way, I'll leave you all alone to read the new chapter. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Shadows in Peaceful Days**

After Link and Connor completed their chores, the two sat outside eating lunch and admiring their work. The collection of wood was taken care of, all the chickens and their eggs were collected, and the fence was back in working order. All of the crops had been taken care of and the items Malon handed them earlier were put away. Even the broom that Connor broke earlier had been fixed with new straw bristles.

"We did pretty good today, didn't we?" Connor said as he finished the rest of the food that was left over from breakfast.

"Yeah, we got a lot done," Link admitted. "You did a lot of work yourself. And that's including breaking the broom and making more work for me."

"I already said I was sorry. Geez, are you ever going to let that go?"

"Well, why don't you clean these plates while I go get the fishing gear? If you can catch a fish, then maybe I'll consider forgetting it."

"Alright!" Getting to his feet in record-breaking time, Connor took both his and his brother's plate into the cottage. He then quickly came out with a bucket in hand and dipped it into a barrel of water before going back in.

With a bemused roll of his eyes, the blond teen got up and went to the back of the cottage where a small tool shed was situated. Opening it up, a brown chicken came fluttering out and made the guy jump a bit.

"How'd you get in here?" he murmured while taking out two fishing poles and a small metal box of tackles.

"I'm done!" Connor exclaimed, his excited footsteps sounding closer until he rounded the corner. "Did you get the stuff ready?"

"Yeah, I'm just wondering how this chicken got in the shed. I'll go and put it back into the coop. Think you can wait for me by the fence?"

"Alright, just don't take too long." Without warning, the boy took both rods and the tackle box from his older brother before heading to the fence. Clearly, he was more than eager to get the fishing trip started.

It only took a few moments for Link to get to the coop and place the chicken inside. Once the coop door was shut and locked, he made his way back to Connor who was already outside the fence line. They then began walking together towards a nearby lake while making small talk over a bunch of random things.

In about twenty minutes, they made it to the lake. There were a few other villagers around who were either on a walk or taking a dip in the water. The boys managed to find a good spot that was away from the swimmers and began prepping their gear. Connor was so excited; he accidentally threw the fishing line in before there was any bait on it. He had to reel it back in so as to stick a worm on the hook before throwing it out once more. Link was more patient and took the time to make sure the fishing line was strong enough and the bait was properly put on before throwing his line out.

"Do you think we'll get any fish today?" the young boy asked as he took a seat on the grass by the lakeshore. He was tightly gripping his fishing rod and waiting for the moment he felt a fish tugging against it.

"It depends how hungry they are," the blond responded before sitting down next to the other. "Fish are funny; they either take a nibble and leave or get themselves caught trying to take the whole thing. It's almost like gambling; you're either lucky or not."

"Except the only thing we lose here is bait. I guess it's a good thing that worms are easy to come by, huh?"

With only a nod for an answer, Link sat quietly as he waited for his first bite. Even with his general lack of knowledge on fishing, Connor knew that it was best to be quiet if they wanted to catch something. He did not want to risk scaring the fish away after working hard all day just to come here and catch them.

The two sat in general silence for about half an hour. They occasionally made small talk, but it only lasted for a couple minutes. A couple of villagers greeted them as they passed by, and even a couple of kids came around to bug them. Connor was more than happy to chat up a storm with them; Link was accepting of their presence but annoyed at the fish being scared off because of that. Still, it proved to be a livelier afternoon than usual for them.

Another hour had passed, and they still failed to catch anything. They had a few nibbles every now and again but nothing major. Connor's previous excitement was quickly faltering and being replaced with impatience. The warm sun beating down on them was not making things any easier for them. There were still a few people at the far end of the lake swimming, but most of earlier crowd had gone away.

"Is it always this hard to catch a fish?" the young boy finally asked. "We've been here for a while and only got a bunch of freeloading fish!"

"Like I said before, you're either lucky or you're not," the blond said. "Although I have to admit that this is getting boring. When dad used to take us, the fish would never stop coming. It's like they think he was their leader or something."

"I remember that! Didn't he use some kind of special bait to attract them? Maybe we should be using that instead of worms."

"You're probably right, but I don't know what he used then. For all I know, he could've been using nothing."

"You didn't ask him?"

"I didn't think I needed to. I mean, I just thought that…he'd still be around for me to ask later. I thought he'd be around longer."

The two boys sat in silence once more, this time reminiscing about their father who had passed on a few years ago. Link and Connor were the only people they had left in terms of their family; the older brother made it a point to raise and protect the other as best he could. He even decided to take on the responsibilities of maintaining the family farm. It had proved to be more difficult than he first thought, but the help from his fellow villagers along with the village elder made things easier. Were it not for their help, they probably would be worse off than they were now. They had since lost most of their land due to the fact that he was working on his own at the time and could not handle everything. They managed to work through that, and now Connor was old enough to take on some of the simpler tasks. They were now able to make a meager but sustainable living, although they still thought about their parents now and again.

"…I really miss dad a lot," Connor suddenly said, his voice filled with sadness as he remembered the times they had together.

"I miss him, too, Connor."

"…Do you remember what mom was like?"

"Yeah, I remember a little bit," Link explained as he started digging in his memories. "I know she really loved us a lot. I think we all used to go on picnics together here at this lake. I sometimes got mad at you because she was always giving you her attention. You were a pretty fussy baby, always demanding the attention. She was definitely beautiful; a lot of women would often come to her for beauty advice. Dad got annoyed a lot at their constant visits. I was seven when she died, but I don't remember much else about her.

"Dad really loved her, and he wasn't the same when she was gone," he added as he reeled in his line and reapplied some fresh bait. He then threw the line back in before continuing the conversation. "He still went fishing with us, but he stopped doing most of the things we used to do as a family. I think he used his position in the military after that as an excuse to travel around instead of actually protecting the people. I'm guessing that's why we didn't get to see much of him. He was hurting pretty bad, and I think he was already gone when he died. It was after that I decided to take over the farm."

"Was it because of me?" the young boy asked, having intently listened to every word that was spoken.

"Yeah, you played a big role in my decision there. You were already seven then, but you didn't do well with strangers. I didn't think you'd last a minute out of my sight, so that's when I decided to be the best big brother to you I could possibly be. I know it isn't much, but you being okay and cared for is all that matters to me." Link let out a melancholy smile as he affectionately rubbed at Connor's light brown hair.

"You don't have to work that hard just for me. I mean, both our neighbors and the Elder have offered to help us out whenever we need it. I know you've been stressing over a lot of things; getting a bit of help from them is okay."

"Don't worry; we're not that bad off yet. Until we are, I think we'll be just fine on our own. Now how about we get back to fishing?" the blond quickly changed topics in an effort to get away from the somber mood that was brought about.

"Hello there, boys!" a voice suddenly called out before they could get back to fishing. Turning to their left, they saw a middle-aged man dressed in simple white robes walking up to them. He had in his hands a large wooden staff with a knob at the top that had been hollowed out. He carried about him an air of strength and leadership and was accompanied by a younger man who appeared to be his escort.

"Hi, Elder!" both boys greeted in unison. Then Connor asked, "You out for a walk today, sir?"

"Well, it's not every day that you get such beautiful weather here in Faron Village," the Elder replied with a warm smile. "I also thought I'd see how my fellow citizens are faring in the aftermath of the drought. I've heard mostly positive things as of now, but I know it has affected everybody one way or another. How about you two? Is your farm alright?"

"We're doing just fine, sir," Link answered. "Thank you for your concern. Connor and I are able to live through to next month's payment of goods to be shipped to Hyrule Castle. We even managed to get in some repair work today, didn't we?"

"We sure did!" the little boy agreed excitedly. "We got the fence patched up and cleaned up the farm. It looks better than yesterday for sure!"

"Well, it sounds like you two are doing just fine," the man chuckled lightheartedly. He then added in a more serious tone, "I'm also concerned as to the wellbeing of everybody ever since Prince Xagrun's men occupied our village. Have they caused you any trouble lately?"

"We've been lucky so far with them," the blond said with a frown. "I haven't had any trouble with them either in the market or at home. However, I have heard that they're stopping any wagons travelling the roads."

"I've heard as much from everybody else. According to some, the soldiers are rifling through their belongings under the guise of running a check for weapons. There haven't been any major incidents so far, but I'm afraid that might change soon. The town's starting to get restless, but there's not much we can do so long as the prince is here.

"I suggest that neither of you talk about this in the open as I am now," he warned. "I'm only doing so because there aren't any soldiers about. I've noticed that they're starting to pick up their patrols, so mind your tongues when around them. I feel that Prince Xagrun might be planning something, but I don't know what it is."

"Do you think he's taken control over the castle?" Link asked in a low tone. "I highly doubt the king would be okay with this. I mean, he's bound to catch word of our complaints since we live so close to him!"

"He's definitely flexed his political muscle in some way. Whether it's by magic or his silver tongue, he's garnered the favor of both His Majesty and his council. I fear that dark times might be heading for our kingdom.

"However, that's all I can say on the subject. Anything else I say now would be no better than a rumor, and spreading them can be bad for the village's morale. I must be continuing my rounds. It was a pleasure talking to you boys!" With that, the Elder continued his walk with his escort following closely and silently.

"…Do you really think the prince is planning something, Link?" Connor asked as he continued to watch the retreating form of the two in the distance.

"I don't know, Connor," the older brother admitted. As nonchalant as he was trying to sound, even he could not help worrying about all this. "From what I remember dad telling us about His Majesty, he cares a lot for his people. The fact that he isn't doing anything about Prince Xagrun's men despite hearing our complaints tells me something's up at the castle. I think the Elder's right about this; the prince is planning something."

"I hope it doesn't mean anything bad for us. Oh!" the young boy suddenly exclaimed as he felt a sharp tug on his fishing rod. "Link, I got a bite! Whoa, I think it's a big one!"

"Really? Let me help you!" With that, the two brothers began fighting against what was clearly a rather large fish. Just like that, the depressive discussion about both their parents and the current politics of Hyrule passed from their minds. All that mattered now was reeling in this fish and seeing how big it was for it to be putting up such a struggle.

_-Meanwhile-_

"Why does Princess Zelda continue to be so stubborn?" Xagrun grumbled as he paced around the grounds of the castle's royal garden. The Hylian guards were all but absent from this part of the castle simply because it was in the center of the castle grounds. There was no chance of an invasion from that particular point barring an aerial assault, so security was redirected to more prudent areas. Leaning against a nearby pillar was his masked shadow who had his arms crossed in thought. "I already have the council eating out of my hand like dogs. The king's also hanging onto every word I say. There's little point left in her resisting. Does she really think she alone can change their minds?"

"I must admit that I foresaw her as being an obstacle," the hooded man replied, his voice quite deep and level. They were clearly having a private conversation; he occasionally surveyed the area to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on them. "Even then, I didn't think she would resist us for this long. She's more persistent than I gave her credit for. Did you really do all you could to persuade her?"

"Of course I did!" the prince replied irritably. "I even threatened to have my men attack her towns from the inside-out. Even then, she refuses to sign the treaty and unify our kingdoms. I don't know what to do with her!"

"Humph, you can't even make a woman bend to your will," the other bemusedly stated while adjusting his hood to better cover the white mask that covered his face. "How pitiful it must be for you as a prince."

"What did you say?"

"…Although I doubt you did all that you could, I had a feeling she wouldn't be so easily convinced," the man said without bothering to repeat his insult. In fact, he hardly seemed to fear the sense of danger that came from the other's threateningly low tone. "She's too strong of a force to be swayed by such simple tactics. Perhaps it would be best if you came up with another mode of attack."

"Do you suppose she knows of our plans?"

"I wouldn't put such a thing past her. She is the descendant of the Maiden of Wisdom. Because of that, she doesn't fear you. She'll do anything she can to douse the flames of desire that burn deep within your soul."

"What are you talking about?" Xagrun had stopped pacing and looked at the other with a hard stare. His black cape fluttered a bit in the afternoon breeze and served to make him seem more intimidating. "There's no way she doesn't fear me! I made sure of that last night when I slapped some sense into her."

"I apologize; I should've said that she fears your lust for power," his shadow corrected. "She's not as scared of you as a person more than she is of the desire for power that drives you. Being blessed with the Power of Wisdom, she's able to see through our ruse of peace. If you still intend on winning her over, then perhaps you should try attacking her in a less physical and political fashion. Clearly, your present tactics seem ineffectual."

"I don't need you telling me what it is I should be doing! I'm the prince; you're my advisor. If I wanted sassy remarks, I would've brought my insolent escort instead! I only brought you along for your advice and knowledge on the subject."

"And I believe I've provided you with nothing but that the moment I came to you. How else do you think you managed to get this far? If I remember correctly, you didn't even believe in the legend when I first told you of it. And in terms of advisory, I've stated a few truths about how well your current tactics have fared and what could be changed to garner better results. If you believe I've done or said something wrong, then feel free to correct me."

For a few moments, there was a tense silence between the two. The prince stared hard at his companion as if daring him to say more; the other merely met the gaze without much effort to it. It was an equal standoff until the lord turned his back to him with unintelligible mutterings leaving his lips.

"Now we have that out of the way, allow me to make a suggestion," the man continued as though nothing happened. "Consider changing up your mode of attack. Your current repertoire has seemed to wear thin with the princess."

"So are you suggesting that I should try killing her instead?" the prince testily suggested as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "If she keeps standing in my way, then I'll get rid of her and be done with it!"

"No!" the other quickly exclaimed. His voice actually held a slight bit of panic at hearing this suggestion. "We need her alive. Have you already forgotten what I told you? If you want the ultimate power, then she can't die prior to its attainment."

At this, the prince let out a sigh as he ran a hand through is hair in irritation. "She's not making this easy what with how stubborn she's being. Of all the women who could receive the Power of Wisdom; why must it be her? There must be an easier way to do this!"

"It's true that she intends to stop us upon every turn we make. However, you're still a few paces in the lead. The Power of Strength rests within you, and we have Princess Zelda in our sights. That means we have two pieces of the ancient power within our grasp. All we need now before moving on to the next phase of our plans is the third piece, the Power of Courage. Unfortunately, this particular piece is always the hardest to locate. I only hope the bearer is somewhere nearby."

"Don't worry; I've had my men on the lookout ever since we arrived. With them under the ruse of providing me safety, not even Zelda can erase their presence. If he's a Hylian citizen, then we'll find him. I just wish my search could be faster! Her not signing that damned treaty is just making things harder."

"…Perhaps you still can exert some of your influence despite only running on the limited powers from your political rights. I remember clearly the discussion from our last meeting with the princess. She mentioned something about her citizens having spread distasteful rumors about your men. Being that they are an extension of your power, you could go to the towns yourself to demand that the people pay for it. The princess clearly cares about her people, but she'll have no authority to stop you from collecting against those who undermine your position. If you do this, then she might change her mind for their sake."

"So we force her to reconsider by toying with her devotions," Xagrun concluded. He carefully listened to everything the other said, and he gave a sadistic smile as he understood the plan. "I like where this is going. It'll also give me an excuse to search the land myself for the third wielder of the ancient power. If he's but a simple farm boy, then it should be easy to take him in without incident. Where do you suggest I should go to do this?"

"Hyrule is a large kingdom, my prince; it would be imprudent for you to wander far from the castle. I would suggest you only visit the farming village of Faron near here. It's small enough that you can exercise your power to all its citizens within a day. And if you make your moves right, you might also unwittingly be able to stymy one of the castle's supply lines," the man added. "After all, your demand of payment can be in forms other than money. Do this right and you could also put pressure on the castle itself."

"I love how your mind can come up with all these ideas. Very well; I'll go ahead and make my leave for this village. I'll take a couple of men with me in case some of the villagers have the gall to attack me."

"Then I will stay here and keep watch over the princess," the masked man replied as he finally peeled himself away from the pillar. He then began making his way back into the castle. "Just make sure you don't do anything too rash that might constitute a political scandal. You're so close to completing the plan; to fail now would be…undesirable."

The prince merely rolled his eyes before heading off to his chambers to prepare for a day out in Faron Village.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I purposefully made this chapter into a two-part session since the topics do seem to naturally converge. I mean, the Elder talking about Xagrun possibly planning something made for a good detour into that private conversation. To be honest, the second part was meant to come first, but the conversation I made with Link and the Elder seemed like a bad way to end. The chapter would've ended on a somewhat happy yet strained note, but the beginning started as ominous and bad. It just felt like a bad sequence of feelings, so I decided to switch them up at the last minute. I hope that ended up working to the aesthetics. And don't mind me calling the Triforce of Power "Strength". It was going to be redundant to call it "the Power of Power", and the two words have a similar definition. Just letting you all know on the off chance somebody gets confused at the wording.

But yeah, I won't say much more here since the beginning author's note was pretty long. I just hope you liked the back-story I tried to put in for the brothers. Please don't forget to leave a review before you leave. Not only is it encouraging; it also helps to know if you catch anything you feel is wrong or needs to be better explained. I hate leaving my readers confused unless I did it purposefully, so it helps if you catch on and tell me the little things like that. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!


	4. A Tyrant's Bite

Hello everybody! Here's another chapter. I honestly can't believe that I'm able to belt these out as fast as I can. I'm now in the middle of my one week break between quarters in college, and I'm forced to go through work training for my summer job at this time. At least the training isn't so demanding or unfamiliar. I have had the same summer job for seven years, but the summer training is always mandatory. So it's not so hard as it is annoying to always have to review the same thing over and over. But I guess that's necessary since I'm a lifeguard and have to keep up-to-date with rescue techniques.

But yeah, this week is really my only time for a break before work and school officially start. Boy, it's going to be another hectic summer for me. But until this week is over, I'll continue to get these chapters out as fast as I can. And when this week is over, don't be surprised if you see a drop in the speed I'm able to update this story. Just warning you all of that before that happens. I know I said something along those lines in the last author's note, but I just want to repeat it in case some of you forgot or didn't read the other one. Chances are you might not read this one, too, but at least you can't say I didn't try to warn you of it.

**SoulC:** Finally, I've seem to have attracted a hardcore Zelda fan whose a "bitch" about details! Of course, I'm saying that in a joking manner. But yeah, I know what you're talking about with Zora's Domain having it's own source of water in all the Zelda games. However, I'm taking a different approach for this story. In essence, forget about whatever Hylian geography you might know from the Zelda franchise; it doesn't exist in this story. There might be small connections that I make, but the overall land is different. That and all of the beings here are basically human and not the fantastical creatures that the Zelda creators have created. I'll try to explain it more later in the story if and when I find the chance to squeeze it in. Still, thanks for the review and having such a keen eye to Hylian geography! And in terms of Xagrun's questionable level of authority, I'm going to have a short explanation of that at the chapter's end. I hope it'll be enough to show why he's able to do what he does.

**Skittycreamstar:** Isn't that the truth? Unfortunately, the last thing she wants is to start a war simply because she bitch-slapped Xagrun. Xagrun can get away with his earlier slap because he literally has the entire castle in the palm of his hand. But don't worry; I'll try my best to have Zelda see some action in this story. That's what I intend to have happen; I just need to find the right time and place for it to happen. Unfortunately, now is not the time.

**OlegEqualzName:** Thanks for taking the time to read my story for the first time. Don't worry about Link; he's going to have a proactive role in this story much like he does in his games. I'm glad I got you thinking about the hooded figure. I purposefully didn't make any mention of his name or even facial features as I made the chapters. And I hope the hood over his head and his mask shows how far he's going to keep his identity hidden. Is he Ganon, or is he another OC? He's an enigma to us all for now, and I don't know what exactly to do with him yet. But in case you don't know, I like to write without planning ahead. So even though I haven't connected the details now with future details, I always manage to make it work. Thanks again for your review!

**ESopre:** Well, I promise you now that their meeting is going to be in this chapter. The coveted action is getting closer, but please be patient until then. I've already got a bit of the scene planned out, but it doesn't come up until later. And thanks for supporting me in my decision to call the Triforce of Power as Strength. If you're really a hardcore Zelda fan and are willing to overlook a relatively minor detail, then I must be doing something right with this story! But yes, thanks for yet another review!

And that's it for my reviewer shout-out. I'll leave you all alone to get on with the story. Please enjoy reading this new chapter. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here!

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**Chapter 3: A Tyrant's Bite**

It was late in the afternoon by the time the boys started making their way back home. Despite the rather abysmal start to their fishing trip, they were both able to catch a fish. Both catches were rather large, but Connor's was the largest. He was proudly holding it in his hands as though showing off to the world what he caught, his fishing pole laying on top of it. Link merely kept his fish on the hook and had it hanging over his shoulder.

"I still can't believe we caught these!" the young boy excitedly bragged. A few people they passed by actually did a double-take upon seeing their unusually large catches. "And I got one that's bigger than yours, too. We're so going to eat well the next couple of days!"

"Hey, it was just a fluke you got the bigger one!" Link replied with a playful nudge to his brother's arm. "And don't forget I helped you reel it in. You probably wouldn't have caught it if I wasn't there to keep the pole steady."

"Whatever, Link. You're just sore that you caught the smaller one!"

The blond merely rolled his eyes and allowed the other to bask in his moment. It was not often that he would brag about something while having good reason to do so. That and moments like this usually happened only once, so he wanted to savor it as long as he could.

"…you're doing?_!_" Link heard a man yelling some distance away. Connor seemed too engrossed with his fishing victory to take notice. "I'm not… …you bastard of a…!"

"…Connor, could you wait here for a bit?" the blond asked as he placed a hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"What's up? You see something?"

"Not really. Just stay here and keep watch over our fish. And don't even think about following me!" With that stern warning, Link made his way to where he heard the argument taking place. The other did as he was told and sat himself against a tree, making sure to not needlessly bruise either his or Link's fish.

"…an injustice, you fiend!" the angry voice continued ranting. His voice grew clearer as the teen got closer to a barn belonging to one of the farmers. When he reached the wooden wall, he hugged against it and sidled to the corner in order to get a look at what was going on.

"Come now; my demands have nothing to do with injustice," another voice, this time one that held a sense of power, haughtily replied. "All I ask is that you pay the fine for having spread ugly rumors about my men. To deface them is equal to defacing me."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Carefully peering around the corner, Link saw a middle-aged man next to a wheelbarrow full of crops quite beside himself. Across from him was a man with short but thick black hair with a black cape clasped around his neck. From the side he could see, the person had a sword strapped to his belt with a hand resting on its hilt as though ready to use. He had two soldiers with him, men dressed in black armor that looked light yet durable enough to withstand a good blow. Each also had a sword on them, although they seemed more content to watching the exchange before them unfold.

_That must be Prince Xagrun!_ the teen thought as he made sure not to make a sound. _Never thought I'd see him out here. What's he doing harassing the farmer?_

"Do you really think I believe that?" Xagrun asked with an obnoxious chuckle. "In a village as small as this, I'm sure that a story by a single man would resonate through the people by the day's end. It's even reached all the way to the castle that my men are the center of some loathsome rumors. 'The prince's men have nothing better to do than to bully us villagers all day!' 'They're probably trying to steal or wares when they check our wagons!' 'They're just looking for an excuse to usurp the Hylian soldiers' position and make us look bad!' I could honestly keep going, but I won't. Do any of these words ring a bell?"

"Whether or not I knew anything about them means nothing to me!" the man exclaimed. "I've nothing to do with those rumors. But even if I were the one who started them, you have no proof nor right to be demanding payment from me! Hyrule is not a part of your kingdom!"

"That's true; but I have a duty as prince to look over the wellbeing of my soldiers. If I feel that they have been threatened in any way, then I have a right to exact due punishment upon the citizens. I'm allowed some modicum of rule here provided my soldiers or my name becomes sullied."

"And what about the king? He would have your head the moment he hears about this!"

"Fortunately for me, His Majesty has granted me full pardon to do what I believe to be necessary in this. I'm sure you know we're currently in talks about a peace treaty. Just as the presence of my men are a sign of goodwill on my part, him giving me limited power over this kingdom is his goodwill gift to me."

"Of all the asinine things I've heard…! I was a little boy when he first took the throne. Not once did he ever give a royal emissary the amount of power you claim to have over us. If there's one rumor I believe to be true, it's that you cast a spell over him and his royal council! There's no other explanation for this!"

"Or perhaps he simply wants there to be peace between the Hylians and Gerudos. You can't deny the possibility. However, I'm not here to discuss politics," the prince added while letting out a yawn. "All I care about is your payment of a hundred and fifty rupees as penalty for insulting my soldiers and, by extension, me."

"If you want the money, then you best look elsewhere!" the man vehemently spat as he roughly took a nearby pitchfork and began stabbing at the soil. "Even if I thought I deserve the 'penalty', I don't have that kind of money on me. I'm but a simple farmer who lives by the whims of the seasons. I'd be lucky to be left with that much at the end of harvest time after paying for expenses!"

"You claim to not have the money, but I can see your assets lying before me," Xagrun replied, gesturing with his free hand at all the produce waiting to be picked. One of his men quickly took the pitchfork from the farmer's hands and snapped it in half. "If you can't make your payment in rupees, then your crops will do just fine."

"If you want them, then take it!" the other exclaimed as he threw his hands up in defeat. "Harvest them yourself and get your little bastard self off my property!"

"Hmm, who said I wanted to harvest them?" the prince asked. With a snap of his fingers, one of his guards walked up to the crops with a sizable container taken from his satchel. He then unscrewed the lid and began pouring its contents around the crops.

"What are you doing?" Before the man could say anything else, he suddenly scrunched up his nose in disgust. A few moments later, the scent of lantern oil reached Link's nose. He had to stifle a cough from the sudden onset of the acrid scent. "Wait a minute; you're not going to…?_!_"

"It was never your crops I wanted, good sir. All I wanted was your rupees. But since you've refused time and again to pay, I'll simply set your crops ablaze in lieu of your money. Wouldn't you say that's fair?"

"Y-You can't do that! You'll raze the land and turn the seeds to ashes! I won't be able to grow anything here! How am I to live if you do this?"

"You should've asked yourself that earlier." With a flick of his wrist, the prince had his palm facing upward. A brilliant blob of violet flames suddenly appeared in his hand. He then threw the magical fire into the oil and watched as the crops rose up in flames.

"Y-You… You…!" The old man could barely get the words out from his mouth as he sank to his knees in despair. In a matter of seconds, all of his crops bent under the heat of the fire and quickly turned to ashes. The oil-slickened earth continued to burn even after the vegetation had burned away. It slowly dried away and hardened up, all of its rich nutrients being absorbed by the ever hungry flames. And even then, it showed no signs of stopping. Link could only watch in horror and helplessness as the poor farmer was cruelly stripped of his hard work and livelihood.

"This is what happens when you choose to default on paying the penalty. The results are much worse than they would've been. Unfortunately for you, I'm not yet done with collecting. If I recall, you've hurled a few insults at me during my visit here. I believe you told me to 'get my little bastard self off of your property' before I burned your crops? Such disrespect calls for another penalty."

"Haven't you done enough?_!_" the farmer exclaimed, his voice cracking as despair raged through him. "If it's my money you want, then take it! That's what you first came here for. It's all I have left now!"

"No, you still have something of worth on your farm even if I took the money." With another snap of his fingers, Xagrun directed one of his men towards the barn where the sounds of animals were heard calling out in fright at the flames. He then directed the other who had poured the oil towards another building which was the farmer's house. "A hundred and fifty rupees won't be enough for me to forgive your insults. But if I were to combine it with your livestock, I'm sure it'll more than appease me."

"Wh-what are you saying? A-Are you wanting to ruin me?_!_ If you kill my animals, then I'll really have nothing left!"

"You've ruined yourself the moment you sullied my name and purposefully withheld my payment. I'm merely taking back what I'm due. But don't think of this as a total loss. At least you still have your life."

Link could not listen to anymore. He quickly ran away from the barn as the sounds of the animals being slaughtered reached his ears. On top of that, the poor farmer's cries of anguish grew louder as everything he worked hard on crumbled away in a matter of moments. He knew he had to get him and Connor back home. He knew he had to prepare for when the prince was going to try and strong-arm them into paying his penalty tax.

"Come on, Connor; we got to go now!" he called out to his little brother once he was in view. Said boy quickly snapped his head up and carefully collected their things before running towards him.

"What was all that yelling, Link?" the young boy asked as he looked towards where the black smoke was rising. "Is someone in trouble?"

"Prince Xagrun's in the village," the blond explained as he took everything off of Connor's hands and began walking faster. Connor had to do a mini-jog just to keep up. "I just saw him trying to collect a penalty tax from a farmer for rumors being spread about his men. I got a bad feeling he's going to be at everybody's house demanding the same thing, so we need to get home before he comes by!"

"Was he the one who caused the fire?"

"It wasn't just a fire; he destroyed a farmer's crops just because he refused to pay him the money!" Link purposefully left out that Xagrun used magic to cause the fire figuring that it might scare his little brother. "He basically took everything that man owned and destroyed it. That's why we need to get home now!"

"B-but do we really have to go home? I mean, couldn't we just go somewhere else until the prince leaves the village? He can't try to rob us if we're not there."

"You didn't see how ruthless the man is. If we're not home when he's there, then I don't know what he might do. I'd rather meet with him face to face than come home to all our crops and chickens dead!"

Connor had nothing else to say after that. He just silently followed behind his older brother as the farmer's wails grew fainter the further they walked.

When they both made it back to their cottage, the sun had mostly set. They cooked one of the fishes they caught and ate it with some of the vegetables Malon gave them earlier. They ate in silence as the thoughts of what happened earlier played through their minds. Link was busy trying to think of some way to avoid paying the penalty while his little brother silently picked at his food. While he did not witness himself the horror that Xagrun was capable of, hearing of it was enough to scare him.

They were just about done eating when the sound of chatter reached their ears. The blond immediately made his way towards the window and peeked outside. Although the land was now dark, he could still barely make out three familiar silhouettes in the distance. They were the prince and his men.

"Connor, I want you to stay in here," Link instructed as he blew out the single candle that illuminated the cottage. "Don't make a sound. I'm going to go outside and have a talk with that monster. I doubt it'll do much, but maybe I can convince him to move on from us."

"But how are you going to do that?"

Instead of answering, the teen merely straightened his clothing and exited the cottage. He then waited by the perimeter fence for the small entourage to come by.

"Well, it looks like we've been expected," Xagrun said amusedly once he reached Link's position. Both of his men stood beside him waiting for whatever orders they were to be given. "I guess word of my presence managed to reach such a desolate part of the village. I suppose then that you know who I am?"

"Just get to why you're here!" the blond brusquely replied. He was trying to use this time to come up with a way to get the prince off his back on this, but it was proving difficult. After all, he had never dealt with so ruthless of a man before.

"Humph, you got some bite in you. I've seen that many times over. Let's see how long you can keep up the attitude?"

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing here? I've more important things to do, and I'm sure you do as well."

"Very well then." The prince actually let out a little smirk at how the other's attitude was calm yet also fierce. "I suppose you've heard of the rumors floating about the village concerning my soldiers? In short, they're inflammatory in nature. I seek restitution for the disrespect that the people have shown to both them and me."

"Didn't you already collect enough 'restitution' from the other villagers?" Link asked as he chose his words carefully. He already saw firsthand the prince's ruthlessness; pushing his buttons the wrong way could mean instant loss of everything. "I've heard from someone who passed by that you strong-armed a few of them already demanding the same thing. Don't you think this is overkill?"

"Punishment is punishment, farm boy. What good is it if only one person is punished while everyone else is free of blame? Everybody must pay the price so that they will all know what's being done to me is wrong. Don't you think it fair?"

"It probably would be if you had everyone pay a reasonable penalty. There's probably only a couple of people who could afford your hundred fifty rupee appeasement! I heard that you burned down a man's farm and killed his animals because he didn't pay."

"Well, you seem well-educated with my tactics." Xagrun was clearly surprised and even a bit suspicious at how the blond came across his means of attack so quickly. "You even know how much I've demanded from your neighbors. If you know that much, then you know that this can only end in my favor. The only thing you can control is whether or not I lay a hand on your beloved crops and animals."

"Have you even taken a good look at my farm?" the blond asked, gesturing with his hand to the small field of crops and the chicken coop. He decided to try and use his lack of a thriving farmland to his advantage. "Notice the lack of conventional farm animals and how most of my repairs are subpar at best. And then there's that pitiful space over there I call my field which has considerably less than what other farmers have. Considering my conditions, does it look like I could ever possibly make that much money? I'm already barely able to make enough in a month to keep up my health. You killing my crops and chickens would just make me resort to begging sooner than I'd like."

"Oh, and here I thought you were already playing the role of beggar," the prince replied with a wry smile. "I'm quite amazed how you're still able to call this pitiful speck of land your home. Did you sell yourself to the village dogs so you can maintain what little bit of dignity you have left? It's either that or you stole from someone, and I doubt we'd be talking if that were the truth."

Despite these angering words, Link managed to keep his temper in check. He knew that Xagrun was trying to rile him up like he did with the farmer from earlier. If he opened his mouth and let loose an insult, the prince probably would not hesitate to burn what little there was on the farm. Instead of opening his mouth, he continued to stare at the other in hatred.

"…However, it doesn't change the fact that you need to pay the fine," he continued after a moment's pause. Clearly, he was expecting a hate-fueled rant of some sort that he could use to his advantage but was not going to get it. "I'm exacting punishment upon the entire village, and you are one of its inhabitants. If you don't follow up, then I'll have to take something from you as another means of payment."

"If you want to destroy my stuff, then go ahead! You can turn my place into a bonfire and let the satisfaction be your payment. I already told you that I'm close to being a beggar. I don't make enough to pay you, and everything I have is near worthless."

"It's true that your livestock and crops are less than what I expect. Still, I see other ways on this spit of land for me to obtain alternate payment. Tell me; how much would you say your pitiful shack is worth? It may not be much, but it's clearly what provides a roof over your head. If you truly don't have the rupees, then how about you relinquish it to me? I'm sure I can give it a much needed renovation in a matter of seconds!"

Link visibly flinched when he heard this. After witnessing the senseless destruction, he could only infer the "renovation" to be the total devastation of the farm. The house that he had kept intact since the death of his father would be the casualty if he continued to refuse handing over the money. Were he the only one living on the land, he would be less hesitant at the choice brought before him. He could try squandering a new life for himself either in or away from the village. With Connor also living with him, he was not going to give up the only place that kept them warm at night. Connor was his everything, and he would be damned if he took away from his little brother the only home he knew.

"… … …Wait here," he growled out. He finally conceded his defeat and began making his way back to the cottage. He heard Xagrun give a victorious huff just as he went inside the darkened building.

"We have to pay, don't we?" Connor suddenly asked the moment Link came in. "You guys were talking loud, and I couldn't help listening."

"We either pay him or he takes down the entire farm," the blond explained as he made a beeline for his bed. He got to his knees and stuck a hand underneath it. He then pulled out a cloth bag and poured its contents out. In it were stones of various colors, rupees of different values that he had been saving for emergency purposes. This was nowhere near the kind of emergency he had in mind.

"How much is he making us pay?" the younger brother inquired, his voice wavering a bit in fear at what was happening.

"More than we can possibly afford. This was supposed to be used in case one of us got real sick. I never thought I'd be using to pay off a tyrannical royal's ego… Damn it; I'm forty short!" Link exclaimed. He began to panic as he tried to think of something. His eyes then rested on his rupee satchel hanging on his bedpost. "…I guess I have to dip into that," he sighed as he undid the string and fished out some rupees.

"B-But that's the money for our food! How're we going to eat if you have to take that much out?"

"We have the other fish we caught and the food Malon gave us. We also still have some food leftover from my last trip to the market. It'll be enough to last us a few days, maybe even a week if we cut back a bit. But even if we did that, it won't offset the forty rupees we're going to lose. I don't know what to do now!"

"What are you doing in there, farm boy?" Xagrun called out impatiently. "I hope you're not trying to plot some way to weasel your way out of this debt. If you don't come out, I'll have my men go and drag you out!"

"We'll worry about this later. Just keep being quiet and don't come out." He then made his way back outside to the prince and his two men entourage.

"It's about time you came back. I was starting to think you ran away. So what's it going to be? Are you going to pay or let me take control over your farm?"

"Here," the teen said as he tossed the bag of rupees to the man. He caught it with ease and tested its weight as though he could tell the amount by it. "That's from both my emergency and food stash. I hope you're satisfied now. Not even selling my crops at market can return to me what you're taking."

"Hmm, it's good to know that you're one of the few who knows his place." The prince handed the bag to one of his soldiers before looking at Link once more. "I'll admit that you're quite different from the other villagers. It really would have been a shame if I had to destroy your land. Now that our business has been taken care of, I'll take my leave of you." He and his group began making their way down the road.

"…How about you answer me something before you go?" the blond dared to asked. The group stopped but did not turn around. "You've already taken most of my money; I think you can give me that much."

"You're a foolhardy boy, you know that?" The prince's tone actually held a sense of intrigue. His back was still turned. "Still, you have proven to be a breath of fresh air after a day's worth of dealing with fools. I suppose I can indulge you in your curiosity for a moment. What is it that you want to ask of me?"

"The king can't possibly be accepting what you're doing. You're just some royal who's visiting from another kingdom. He's a fair ruler; your actions are hardly what he would allow to have happen to his people. Everything he's done since you came doesn't make sense. Tell me; did you put a spell over everyone in the castle?"

Instead of immediately answering, Xagrun kept quiet. Not able to see his face, Link could only assume that he was thinking about how to answer the question. Even the man's two guards seemed confused at his sudden silence.

"…You may be a farm boy, but you're clearly smarter than others of your ilk I've met tonight," the prince finally responded, his wryness falling heavily from his words. "If you can figure out my pattern of extortion without having met me, then you should already know the answer to your question. That's all I have to say on the matter. Now if you have nothing else to say, I shall take my leave."

Without another word, the trio continued on their way down the road. Not once did any of them looked back. Link merely stayed rooted to the fence watching as they walked further away towards their next victim. As much as he was angry at being forced to forfeit a chunk of his food money in exchange for the farm's safety, he admitted that it was not all a total loss. At least he now knew something that has been speculated by many villagers, including the Elder himself. Hyrule Castle was under a spell. Prince Xagrun had control over them and was clearly conducting his business without fear of retribution.

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Well, this was an interesting chapter to write. I had to show how ruthless Xagrun could be with Link witnessing it so he can be prepared for later. I'm sure he would've mouthed the prince off had he not seen what happened with the poor farmer. At the same time, I wanted this conversation to be the basis for why he is a worthy recipient for the Power of Courage. I'm sure it's already known that he has that power; I wanted his actions to reflect that. He's brave enough to go against a tyrant while also knowing the limits. It may be just a war of words between them, but I hope I did the exchange well enough to show Link's courage.

And yeah, I hope you don't mind how the story took a turn from light to dark so suddenly. And I hope this answers **SoulC**'s question about Xagrun's level of authority in Hyrule. With a spell cast over most of the castle's inhabitants, they could essentially care less about what he's doing to the people. It should also explain why the king and council were so suddenly wanting to accept his peace treaty at the beginning of the story. I know that it was just a short paragraph of Xagrun basically admitting he had a spell over Hyrule Castle, but I hope it was enough.

So that's it for this author's note. I hope you enjoyed reading this new chapter and liked the dark elements I tried to put into it. And please continue to supply me with your reviews of either encouragement or questions that you might have with the overall story. I'm always happy to try and clear up whatever confusion you might have. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here!


	5. A Farm Boy's Resolve

Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter for you all to read. I don't really have much to say in terms of author's note here because I'm uploading this while in class. I only have time for my author shout-outs, so sorry if I'm short with my answers and whatnot.

And just to say, I'm not going to respond to guest reviews. As much as I appreciate the reviews and the want for anonymity, it's hard to respond when I don't even have a user name to call you as. So please don't take offense if you're a guest and I fail to respond to your review.

**OlegEqualzname:** Yes, my stories consist of a lot of dialogue. Personally, I find it hard to structure a story that has a lot of narration and not a lot of characters talking. There's only so much you can tell through narration before things begin to feel dull. The conversations is where each character's personality comes alive, and that's what I try to do with all the stories I write. It's great to know you like my dialogue, and I hope you continue to enjoy and support this story!

**SoulfulGinger17:** Yes, Xagrun is a royal pain in the ass here. And in terms of Link punching him while being harassed of his money, it wouldn't have made sense. Considering what Link saw with the poor farmer earlier, he knows what buttons not to press when speaking with Xagrun. It's clear that he cares a lot for his brother, and he's not stupid enough to risk his well-being just because he punched a man of royal standing. But yes, the want to punch him is strong. And I don't think there's going to be sexual tension in here. Not only am I bad at writing that, I feel that it's rather unnecessary for this story. Unless it can be tied in extremely well, sexual tension just tends to be the "side quest" of stories.

**Skittycreamstar:** Yes, the want to kill Xagrun is very strong. Now you see how much of an ass this prince can be. I really wanted that feeling to be strong that you as the reader would actually want to hate a character. For a writer, it's kind of hard to portray such strong emotions against or for a character, so I'm glad that it at least worked with you.

**ESopre:** I wanted that chapter to be viewed as dark. I see most Zelda games being somewhat lighthearted and in contrast to the fact that there is a war going on, even if it's a war between a world-dominating tyrant and the hero of time. Still, there's going to be casualties and whatnot happening. I just figured I showcase a bit of that in the previous chapter. I'm glad you liked my attempt at doing so.

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**Chapter 4: A Farm Boy's Resolve**

It was the morning after Prince Xagrun's unexpected visit to Faron Village. The news of what happened there had spread quickly overnight to the neighboring settlements. His infamous acts against Faron's citizens were soon known to all. His actions have nearly rendered the poor village incapable to handle even its own most basic of affairs. With most of the farmer's lands decimated and their monies taken due to the penalty tax, their economic well-being went from manageable to almost nonexistent. The farming market that they depended on to survive was now in complete disarray and unable to sustain itself. What was once an independent town with farmlands that supported Hyrule Castle was now a land rendered to desperation, its citizens now forced to practically beg for aid to those who would listen.

Thankfully, the neighboring villages were more than willing to send over any help they could. It started coming even before dawn broke, but there were lots of complications. The prince's men continued to pull over all wagons going in and out for routine checks. Unlike how it was before, the soldiers were now confiscating foods that were not common to Faron Village under the pretense of possibly being "suspicious and deadly items". And to make matters worse, any seeds and seedlings that were brought in to replace lost crops were also taken away as they were considered to be "crops not indigenous to Faron farmlands". It was clearly a lie Xagrun had his men enforcing, but his intents on making the already suffering villagers' lives beyond unbearable were evident.

Word of such atrocities quickly arrived at Hyrule Castle. However, all of the higher-ups merely looked at this as a fitting punishment. The council were in unanimous agreement that the price the farmers paid for insulting a member of the Gerudo Royal Family was more than fitting; the King of Hyrule added nothing to the debate yet also said nothing against it. Their inactivity on this did not fail to catch the people's attention and only helped further spur on the rumors of spells and magic over the royal court. The only member of this court who was not convinced about any of this was Princess Zelda.

After receiving word of Faron Village's ordeal, she had retired herself to one of the outer walkways which overlooked the castle courtyard. The need to reevaluate everything was great, the ruthlessness greatly worrying her. Her blue dress fluttered lightly in the morning breeze as she leaned her body against the marble railing, her tiara keeping her hair from blowing about in the wind. Her current position made it easy for her to see the castle's maids and soldiers milling about and performing their duties. Of course, there were the occasional few who stopped to gossip with each other about the latest news. The main event of the day just so happened to be about Xagrun's recent show of power.

"I can't believe the council is actually condoning this!" the princess heard one of the maids say. She saw said woman below her not too far away with a basket of fruit in her hands speaking with a soldier. "I'll admit that they tend to make decisions that most tend to view as unfair, but I'm sure even they would never allow things to go this far. What happened last night in Faron Village was madness! I don't care if it was the villagers who started those rumors; they didn't deserve such merciless acts!"

"You didn't hear this from me, but I doubt Prince Xagrun is here for peace talks," the soldier replied after cautiously looking about. He saw Zelda but seemed not too worried about her potentially overhearing him. "I've served within these walls for a while now, and all the royals I've seen never held an oppressive air like him. His attitude alone is hardly fitting of a royal on a peaceful visit. But what I'm more amazed at, though, is that the king is condoning both his actions and presence. He's changed ever since that desert prince came, and I can't help but wonder if he did something to His Majesty."

"Well, there have been whispers that he put a spell over His Majesty and the royal council. They've been acting strangely as of late, but their actions haven't warrant such suspect. But now that we see their lack of proper action with the Faron Village incident, I'm starting to think that it's true. I fear to imagine what will happen to the kingdom now that the entire royal court in that man's hands."

"I wouldn't say that he has everyone in his palm yet." The soldier nodded his head up to where Zelda was listening. The maid followed his motion and was slightly taken aback at seeing the princess overhearing their conversation. "I wouldn't have spoken about this with her nearby were I not confident she was against the council. She has singlehandedly tied up this 'peace treaty' in political backlog, so I'm sure the prince doesn't have complete control. She's a wise young woman; I know that she feels the same as us on this. Given time, I'm sure she'll find a way to rid us of this tyrant and reverse the troubles he brought upon our kingdom."

Zelda merely smiled at the two for their notable support in her abilities as their princess. However, she was not as confident on the inside. While it was true she held the highest position in the royal council, not even her word was enough to completely disregard something such as a treaty. Despite the bleakness she felt, she had to smile now so as to bestow upon those who trust in her the confidence they so needed now. All she could do was stall the treaty process, and she was not sure how much longer she could continue with it now that Xagrun has seen fit to project his agitation against her people.

"So this is where you have been, Princess Zelda," the prince's voice suddenly cut through the momentary silence. The girl looked towards the voice's direction and saw the man standing before her with his arms crossed. Both the maid and soldier saw him and quickly became scarce, not wanting to be dragged into whatever he was going to bring before the princess.

"…Why are you here?" she coldly asked, watching her two loyal servants rounding a corner. She already knew why Xagrun was here and would rather not discuss it, but she knew it best to speak of it lest she wants another incident.

"There's no need to sound so cold, milady. I merely wish to speak with you about my trip to Faron Village last night. I'm sure you're interested to know what transpired." He then took his place beside the princess and leaned against the railing.

"I'm not so much interested in what happened than I am as to why. You went to one of my kingdom's villages and purposefully disrupted their way of life. You've burned down their farms, slaughtered their poor animals, and took their money under the guise of a penalty tax. You did this over something trivial as a rumor that holds no immediate harm to you. And you chose Faron Village to exercise your power, of all places!"

"I understand your anger on this; I held no joy in what I did. However, don't forget that this was also in part your fault," he snidely replied in an attempt to make Zelda feel guilty. "All you had to do was sign the treaty, and all this could've been avoided. But why do you express strong concern over that dilapidated village? There was nothing there but mediocre farms with spineless farmers tending them."

"Those 'spineless farmers' are the people who uphold one of this castle's main line of supplies!" Zelda explained. "Their produce is what helps to keep the people in this castle well-fed. Granted that we do have other chains of supplies to rely upon, but Faron Village has always been a dependable source for us. You've nearly destroyed their way of life; your men are not making their recovery any easier by blocking most of the charitable aid that arrives. They have nothing to do with your want for this kingdom! You must allow them the chance to come back from the poverty you brought upon them!"

"How can I do that if you refuse to let the peace treaty pass? I promise you that the conditions of our countries' coexistence lies upon the passage of it. Until then, I'm afraid that I cannot just rescind my recent actions against your people so easily."

"So you see it fit now to blackmail me with the well-being of my people? How far will you go to ensure that whatever your plans are will come to fruition? I don't care how often you try to terrorize them; I will reverse the damage you have done. Until then, I will continue to refuse to allow the combining of our kingdoms!"

"Why must you continue to be so stubborn?" Xagrun irritably sighed. "Do you not realize that the suffering of your people can end if you only do one thing for me? I'm sure that it isn't too much to ask, yet you intend to make it difficult upon every turn. However, it seems you won't quite yet be swayed without further persuasion. I only suggest that you don't take too long lest you want me to go through more…extreme measures," he said with a devious smile before beginning to make his way back into the castle. "I'm sure that your kingdom's other villages are just as filled with spineless people."

Instead of countering back, Zelda kept silent at this. She knew that responding would only serve to add more to his flawed ego, and that would mean further suffering of her people. Now that his ruthless tactics were known, she would have to find a different approach in keeping him away from ruling Hyrule. Unfortunately, time was not on her side. The longer she stalled in attempts to drive Xagrun out, the further her people's safety were being sacrificed. If he is to be stopped, then she needed nothing short of a miracle fast!

"However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the moment of interest I witnessed last night," he added as he stopped short of the door. "There were many who dared to speak against me, but they all had fear in their eyes. Despite that, there was one who was the same as the rest and yet different. He spoke with the same harshness, but his eyes begot bravery instead of fear. Rather, I should probably say recklessness as it was more that than bravery. Granted that he was forced to pay my price in the end, but it was amusing to see how far he was willing to push me. Then again, I was somewhat disadvantageous in that he had already gotten word of my forms of punishment. Still, it was fun to see such a young and simple farm boy dare to stand against me in a way no one else did."

Upon hearing this, the princess immediately lost herself in thought. She barely registered that the prince had gone back into the castle. As distressing the previous evenings events were, she noticed something that the man willingly overlooked. Perhaps she really could enforce the old legend to help her take down the prince's tyrannical hold against Hyrule, and the key to make it possible seemed closer than she imagined. The problem now would be how she can grant this farm boy an audience with her without having Xagrun or his men taking notice.

_-Meanwhile-_

Link had been up most of the night after his unwelcome visit from Xagrun. He was worried about how he was going to keep the farm going. He cared little about what this meant for himself; he only cared about Connor and how he was going to support him. With the loss of most of their food money, it was going to be next to impossible to survive the month. Not even the sale of all their current produce would be enough to offset the difference. The food they had now was only enough to last a week at most; allocating the rest of their money to only keeping his brother fed still would not be enough. He had to do something about this now while their supply of food was barely at a comfortable level.

After preparing Connor's breakfast for when he woke up, he went back to his bed and rummaged underneath it. A moment later, he pulled out a small simple wooden box. Placing it on his mattress, he undid the metal latch and opened it to reveal the contents. In it was a simple green tunic and cap along with a leather brown belt and a pair of boots. Underneath all that was also a pair of light brown tights folded with care and waiting to be lifted out along with the other pieces of clothing. Taking the tunic into his hands, Link could feel that the material was still resilient as though it had only been put aside yesterday.

_Never thought in my life I'd be wearing this,_ he thought with a wry smile before laying all of the pieces on his bed. He then got out of his farm shirt and put on an undamaged one before starting on the laid-out clothes. _Still, this is my best bet if I want to try getting our money back. If I show up looking like this, then maybe they'll at least listen to me. I guess dad's still looking after us even when he's not here._

Within a couple minutes, the teen had fully donned the clothes his father once wore. No longer did he look like someone who was ready to work on a farm. Rather, he looked like one who was prepared to go on a long journey, weathering through whatever hardships that might come his way.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard Connor stirring from his sleep. Looking over to his little brother's bed, he saw him slowly sitting himself up while trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning, Connor. I got breakfast ready for you. I gotta go out for a bit, so mind the farm for me."

"Huh? Wh-What are you talking about?" the boy yawned out. He was not expecting to be hearing this the moment he woke up. "Are you going somewhere? And why are you wearing dad's military uniform?"

"I'm thinking of heading to Hyrule Castle. Prince Xagrun's terrorized the entire village last night, and the castle needs to know about it. I don't care if they agree with what he's doing; I'm not just going to sit around and let him push us around!"

"Are you serious?" Connor was now wide awake upon hearing what his older brother was planning to do. "Let me come! I wanna see how this'll turn out."

"I want you to stay here," Link replied in a definite tone. "I don't want them thinking I'm there to beg because I have a little kid with me. And besides, someone needs to stay behind and make sure nothing bad happens. After what the prince did last night, I wouldn't be surprised if someone came around trying to take our crops just to feed their family. I doubt it'll happen, but its better you be here in case it does."

"But I've never been to the castle before! I always wanted to see what it looks like up close."

"I'm not going there for fun, Connor. Just do what I say and stay here. I'm not taking no for an answer this time. Eat your breakfast and make sure nothing happens. I'll try to be back before evening, so keep things up until then."

With that, Connor stopped his weak protests at having to stay behind. Link gave him a curt nod before leaving the cottage and heading down the road towards Hyrule Castle. Being that they were without a horse, he was going to have to make the trek by foot. He dared to think about asking Malon to loan Epona to him for the day. She was no doubt also hit by Xagrun last night and was probably going to need the horse to help her recover some of her family's losses. He could only hope now that he remembered the way to the castle from the last time he went there with his dad over five years ago.

As he made his way through the village square, he noticed a lot of farmers gathering near the path to the lake. They were talking loudly amongst themselves about the events that took place last night. In the middle of this congregation was the Village Elder who was making an announcement in an attempt to calm everybody down.

"I understand that you're all concerned over the prince's visit last night," he replied calmly to the people. "I know that you were taxed of your money; some of you have even lost your crops and animals in the process. I was not spared from this, so I understand what all of you are going through. However, we have no power to go against him on this. I only ask that you be patient as I try to petition aid from our neighboring villages."

"But the prince's soldiers are holding up the charitable caravans and even taking supplies off from them!" one of the villagers shouted in anger. "How are we supposed to pick up our feet if he's not even allowing us to do so? This is nothing but an unjust flexing of power from a man whose tyrannical ancestor nearly laid waste to Hyrule centuries ago!"

"He's becoming a spitting image of the man who laid siege over this kingdom centuries ago!" another villager repeated with the same amount of anger. "The only difference is that this 'prince' doesn't dare to take what he wants on his own. I suppose it's a godsend that he's not as personal, but his underhanded tactics are too cruel against us! I say we all go to the castle and make our voices heard to the king. He can't ignore us if we all gather at his gates and raise a commotion!"

"Please settle down everyone!" The Elder raised his voice over the crowd in an attempt to try and keep the meeting as civil as possible. "Causing what amounts to a riot won't solve anything. All we can do now is move one step at a time. I've already sent an emissary to the castle with regards to the searches of caravans containing our relief aid. We should receive word by the end of today of the soldiers loosening their authority on such checks and allowing the supplies to travel freely throughout the village."

"But we need the relief now!" another villager exclaimed. "That tyrant destroyed all my crops because I didn't have the money to pay him! He then took all of my money and destroyed nearly every scrap of food in my house. My family will have to do with almost nothing to eat tonight because of it!"

As the group continued to vocalize their anger over the situation, Link continued on his way to Hyrule Castle. As much as he wanted to put his two cents into the discussion, he knew it was not going to do much good. The Elder was right; they had no power to go against Xagrun. All they could do was grin and bear it while waiting for the village emissary to come back with word of free flow of charitable goods. At the same time, all he could do was to go to the castle himself to represent his family and the difficulty he was put in because of this.

Thankfully for him, the journey to the castle proved easier than he thought. The prince's guards were still busy patrolling the village borders and harassing passing caravans. However, they seemed more lax and willing to overlook foot travelers in lieu of those with wagons. This made his journey easier, and he made it to Hyrule Castle before noontime came around.

No doubt because of what happened at Faron VIllage, the front gates were packed with people vocalizing their concerns over Xagrun's presence. Most were unfamiliar faces, but he took note of Malon and her family joining in on the protest. The castle guards merely stood their ground on the other side and watched the crowd vent their frustrations. There were also a couple of them patrolling the crowd, these men a part of the prince's army, making sure that there was nothing suspicious going on. None took heed of Link as he walked along the outer rim of the thick crowd for a way to the gates.

"I didn't think there'd already be a crowd," he murmured after seeing no way through. "I know our villages are like close friends, but I didn't think they'd have heard about the incident so quickly. If they can't get in to talk to somebody, then I sure as hell can't."

He stood with his arms crossed some feet away from the crowd thinking about what his next move would be. The guards did not seem like they were going to be calling anyone into the castle grounds anytime soon. If this was as far as the people could get, then he was likely not to do any better himself.

"Excuse me, boy," a woman suddenly called out. "What are you doing here?"

Turning around, he saw the lady who had addressed him. She was simply dressed with a white traveler's cloak covering her, yet she held a certain air about her. Despite her current appearance, she did not seem like a person of commoner standing like he was. Perhaps she was a high class citizen from one of Hyrule's wealthier towns dressing covertly so as to see what all the commotion was about.

"Uh, I'm here because I wanted to talk to somebody in the castle about what happened in Faron Village last night," Link explained somewhat hesitantly. She had taken him by surprise from her sudden announcement and was suspicious about why someone like her was here. "Prince Xagrun came by and had everybody pay his insane penalty tax. I happen to be one of those people, and I thought I could talk to someone in the castle about it. I don't think that'd be possible now, though."

"Hmm, I thought you were simply a member of the royal guard neglecting your duties," the woman replied with a curious look. "That uniform you wear is exactly what they wear. Tell me; where did you get it?"

"M-My father was with the military long ago. He died off the battlefield, so this was just lying in my house. I figured I'd have a better chance getting inside if I put this on since some of the guards have it on, but this crowd kind of makes it impossible to even get to the gates. All I want to do is to get my money back from that tyrant of a prince so I can feed my brother! I guess I can't do that now."

"I'm sure everyone here feels the same way. You can't just single yourself out from a crowd of likeminded individuals. However, the castle is currently having its own share of inner turmoil. Even if your problem was an isolated incident, I don't think you would have a chance to voice your concerns. As much as the council would like to mend whatever problems the citizens are facing, such action is impossible."

"Is it really just inner turmoil, or is it that the prince cast a spell over them?" the blond asked, his skepticism clear to anyone in range of his voice. "He admitted as much to me last night after taking my money. I wouldn't be surprised if that's also the reason why nobody's being admitted in to voice their anger!"

For a moment, the woman seemed lost in thought after hearing what the other had to say. In fact, this was when Link noticed the oddities in her character. Even though they only talked for a couple minutes, he realized that she spoke about the castle and what was happening inside as though she entered it before. Then there was the fact that she had this indistinguishable air about her that separated her from his social class. There was more to her than she was letting on, but he was in no position to be so questioning.

"…Perhaps I could persuade the castle guards to allow you entrance," she finally said. "I have some influence with Hyrule Castle myself. Because of that, I'm allowed to come and go as I please so long as it's within reason. I'm sure they won't turn you away if I were to introduce you as my guest."

"Uh, are you sure about this? I mean, I don't even know who you are. How do I know you're not just trying to fool me?"

"Because of this." She opened the front of her cloak slightly and revealed the crest of the Hylian Royal Family embroidered onto the front of her tunic. "This symbol is what grants me passage. As I'm sure you're aware, these symbols are only given out by the royal family to those they trust. Do you believe my claim to be true now, boy? If so, then follow me around the back where an entrance for those such as I are reserved for."

The lady quickly made her way along the castle walls towards the back as she stated. After hesitating for a moment, Link followed suit. He was still skeptical as to who this woman really was, but she clearly had ties to the royal family. If she was willing to sneak him inside under the guise as her guest, then who was he to refuse such an offer? After all, this could be his chance to speak with someone willing to do something about Xagrun's tyranny!

* * *

Well, that's it. Link has finally made it into the castle! I'm sorry if some parts at the end felt like filler. To be honest, there were so many points in the end where the chapter could've ended, but I wanted him to be at the castle first. The travelling from the village to castle is rather short with nothing interesting happening, so I couldn't just stop there and only have a one page chapter for when he arrives at the castle gates. And I couldn't merge it with the next chapter as the plot for each individual chapter wouldn't make sense then.

But yeah, that's it. I'm still in class, so I'm just going to post this now. Sorry again for sounding so short in this chapter's author's notes. Until the next update to this and any of my other stories on here!


	6. A Princess's Trump

Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter to this story. It's literally like past three in the morning for me right now, so I'm going to cut this short and answer the reviewers as quickly and politely as I can. So sorry in advance if some of my answers sound weird due to a brain running on lack of sleep. Probably not a good thing since I'm really busy with work and school this summer, but oh well.

**SoulC:** Well, aren't you just one conniving little reviewer? It never crossed my mind that you were trying to test me and my overall knowledge of what I'm planning to do for this story. To be honest, though, I understand where you're going with it. I've ran into quite a few stories on here that had good premises yet failed on their overall details and execution of words. And as a person who plans to be a writer as a career, I've learned to take offense, even those that are just pure flames with no backing to it whatsoever, with a grain of salt. What good is writing if you don't have or occasionally listen to that one person you feel has offended you? As much as positive reviews are good, the negatives are just as fine as they could potentially point out something that you otherwise missed or see can be brushed up on. But yeah, I'm glad that I was able to pass your test and gained a faithful reader in you!

**Skittycreamstar:** Yes, I can't stand romance stories, as well. Actually, I should say that I don't like romance in stories that are primarily adventurous such as the Zelda series. Granted, there are some exceptions in my book such as Final Fantasy IX where it revolved around the main characters' personal growth and the growth between them. In that instance, it was executed well and flowed well with the adventure story. In terms of Zelda, I hardly see any time where Link and Zelda are together for a substantial amount of time to warrant any kind of sexual tension between the two. And even though my version of the Zelda universe will see the two having more personal times together, the situation I have in mind for them hardly calls for an appropriate moment for sexual tension. Yes, I have a lot to say on that topic, and I hate obsolete themes in stories and games that could easily be left out and still make for a good an understandable piece of work.

And to the anonymous reviewer who left a review like five hours before this new chapter was published, I promise that there will be more Zelda appearances to come. It's just that the situation for the past few chapters haven't warranted the need for such extended appearances for her yet.

So now all that's out of the way, I'll let you enjoy this new chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought of it and whatever bits of confusion or concerns you might have. Until then next update to this or any of my other stories on here!

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Princess's Trump**

"Uh, where're you taking me to?" Link asked as he followed the woman through the back doors that were sparsely guarded. As promised, the royal crest on her tunic was what gave her free access. Her introducing him as her guest also proved effective as he was allowed in without much resistance.

"To a member of the royal council," she simply replied while taking another door that led into the castle building. "They are who should be spoken to in regards to matters such as yours. Only they have the proper authority to rectify it."

"As if they can do anything," the blond incredulously huffed. He was too busy trying to figure out what was going on to take in the beauty and grandeur that was the interior of Hyrule Castle. "Prince Xagrun already admitted to me that he has this place under a spell. How are any of the royal councilmembers able to help me if they can't help themselves?"

"It's true that the council body has been disillusioned as of late. However, there remains a fraction of the royal court who still maintains clarity. It is she whom I'm taking you to see. I cannot guarantee that her power alone will be enough to appease your concerns, but consulting with her would be the best place to start."

Feeling that he was bested on this, Link let the subject end at that. It was clear that this woman knew a lot about the politics of Hyrule Castle. For someone such as him with little care or knowledge on it, further questioning would have been pointless. Instead, he allowed himself to be led to this seemingly unaffected council member who could or could not help him with his money problem.

It was then he noticed that the hallways they traversed were barren of people. Apart from the occasional maid traversing to their next order of business, he and the woman were the only ones there. Considering that it was a castle, he half-expected that the castle guards would be in the hallways watching to suspicious activity. Apart from the one who kept watch over the castle rear entrance, he was not accosted in any way by guards. He had to wonder now if Xagrun was somehow able to enact his spell on the guards, as well.

"We've arrived, boy," the woman stated as they approached a wooden door. Judging by the wooden baskets and crates of fresh fruit along the nearby walls, it was probably a room that was frequented by the castle servants. She then knocked softly on the door before announcing her arrival to whoever was inside. "I've returned from my trip, Your Highness. The one you requested to see is with me, as well."

"Come in." The one behind the door, a woman, beckoned them in. Without any further indication, Link's guide opened the door and motioned for him to enter first.

"…Wait a minute," he murmured once what he just heard processed through his brain. "Did you just call the girl 'Your Highness'? Are you telling me that the council member I'm meeting is…?"

"The Princess of Hyrule," the princess finished. She was standing before them on the other side of the room next to a window. The hem of her beautiful sapphire dress was barely above the ground, her sparkling silver shoes clear even with the sunlight that illuminated only parts of the room. Her hands were covered with a pair of pure white elbow-high gloves that fitted snugly against her beautiful arms.

"P-Princess Zelda!" Link exclaimed as he clumsily got on one knee.

"There's no need to go on ceremony, farm boy," Zelda replied with a hint of amusement in her tone as she motioned for the teen to get up. She then said to the woman who escorted him in, "Thank you for your help, Impa. I'll hear of your report concerning Gerudo Valley later. For now, I would like to speak with the boy in private."

"As you wish, my lady," Impa said with a small bow before making herself scarce. Only the two remained in the room now.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the princess said with a smile. "Might I ask what your name is and where you come from?"

"Uh, i-it's Link," the teen stuttered, his mind still trying to process that he was before the Princess of Hyrule. "I live in Faron Village."

"Ah, I thought as much about your origins. I'm sorry if I pass on as brusque, but there are many things with which I want to discuss."

Really? That's funny; I came here also wanting to talk to you about something."

"Might I suppose that you want to speak about Prince Xagrun and his visit to your village last night? I understand that he caused great discomfort to you and your fellow farmers."

"Wait, you knew about that? You knew he was going to rob us of our belongings and did nothing to stop it? I thought that woman earlier said you weren't under that man's spell."

"I admit that I knew of what he did," Zelda admitted without much heed to Link's rising hostility. "However, I only came to know of his actions after the fact. Had I known prior about his plans, I would've accompanied him and made sure he didn't terrorize your village. While it is late to do so, I offer you my apologies."

"You're apologizing now, but what's stopping me from thinking you're not really sorry?" Link questioned with a skeptically raised eyebrow. "For all I know, you could be under the spell that has the entire council bending to his will. How do I know you're not one of his puppets getting ready to present me to him?"

"If that were true, then you wouldn't be speaking with me now. The prince's men and puppets would never waste time speaking with their captives like I am now. That and Impa, my faithful servant from earlier, wouldn't have brought you before me. She and I are one of the few people left in this castle who haven't fallen under this spell. I can't provide you any definitive proof of my clarity, so I can only ask that you believe in my word.

"However, I suggest that we move onto why I had you brought before me." She quickly changed topics before moving to take a seat on a nearby chair. "I've already taken a risk with allowing you into the castle. The prince doesn't know you're here, and I intend to keep it that way indefinitely, if possible.

"I had you brought before me because you've piqued my interests. Xagrun chose to flaunt his actions from last night to me this morning. That was when he made mention of you and how you stood up to him in a manner different from the other villagers. I had a feeling you would come here to voice your concerns, so that's why I instructed Impa to escort you in should she run into you during her return from Gerudo Valley. She's a good judge of character, so I knew she would know if you were the one the prince mentioned."

"I'm sorry, but I can't possibly be as interesting as you believe me to be. It's true that I stood up to him, but it was only because of my family. It'd be a different story if I were living on my own, but I'm not going to let anyone take food out of my little brother's mouth! That's why I came here today, to talk with somebody about getting my money back."

"And you have every right to speak of it, but I'm afraid what I want to discuss if of dire circumstance. I'm sure you've noticed how the kingdom has been slowly on the decline ever since the desert prince arrived. It's no doubt that his presence has caused much unrest with the people; his most recent tactics not doing much to fix the turmoil. Ever since I saw through his ruse of wanting a peace treaty, I've been trying to stop him. I know that he has no desire for peace; what he wants is power by gaining control over Hyrule!"

"Forgive me, princess, but I've figured as much on that," Link replied. "Of course, I was only guessing it before you told me. However, why are you telling me about these things? Isn't it inappropriate to tell a commoner about internal issues? I'm nothing more than a farmer trying to keep his family fed."

"It's true that I'm breaking protocol, but I don't believe it matters much now with most of the council backing Xagrun's interests," Zelda merely shrugged off. "And besides, I'm telling you about this for a reason. You see, the only one apart from me who has dared to stand up against him without any hint of fear has been you. Because of that, I believe that you're the only one who can fight against him and drive him out of our lands!"

"Whoa, hold on there!" the other immediately protested. The conversation had suddenly taken a turn down a road he was not expecting. "You're not asking for me to go to war with you, are you? I'm just a farmer, not a soldier. I mean, I do know something about using swords; but I'm hardly soldier material for wars. I can't help you with that!"

"I understand your hesitancy, Link; but I don't think you understand the severity of the situation. Hyrule will continue to fall until the desert prince gets what he wants. And even then, he'll most likely rule these lands as he does with Gerudo Valley. I can't stand for that to happen, so I need the help of someone who wouldn't fear going against him. I also fear that something else is going on behind the scenes which require me to seek out your aid."

"Wh-what do you mean, princess? I thought you said that all he wanted was to rule this kingdom. What else could he possibly want?"

"I don't know if it is what he wants, but the similarities are all too common for me to just ignore. You see, he holds some common traits with a man who terrorized our lands centuries ago. He also hailed from the desert, and his lust for power drove him to do anything he could to reign control. While he did succeed, he was soon defeated by one who had the proven courage to rid us of his tyranny. He was then sealed away into a nether realm and now lies in wait until the moment he is free once more. I don't know how, but I believe that the prince will be the one to release this monster upon us. Should that happen, then only the chosen hero of our generation can stand a chance at defeating Xagrun!"

"Chosen hero? Sealed into a nether realm? This all sounds like something out of a fairy tale," Link skeptically stated. "How is a single person supposedly able to do what seems like others could easily do? Why is only this 'hero' able to seal away this evil?"

"It's because he was the hero of legend," Zelda explained. "Only he has been blessed with the power and tools necessary to banish evil from our lands. Have you never heard about the Hero of Time, a story often recited as an excerpt from the Legend of Zelda? All of this has been stated in these coveted stories."

"I've only heard pieces of it. It was never enough to get the whole story, but I thought it to be nothing but fairy tales based from the fantastical bits I was told."

"Is that so? Then perhaps I should impart to you what I know of the legend. It ties in with why you are here before me, so I suggest you lend an attentive ear. Allow me begin with the story of our world's creation.

"_Long ago, this world was nothing more than a barren rock floating along in the abyss of empty space,_" the princess began. "_Not even the smallest of animals could live amongst the immense nothingness. By the miraculous grace of magnificent power, three powerful goddesses descended from the heavens. These magnificent deities are known to us as Din, Farore, and Nayru. Together, they blessed us with the land of Hyrule and all its abundances of resources to help us live in prosperity._

"_With the creation of the land, the birth of all living beings meant to be its inhabitants, and the natural law of life and death established; our land was born. This alone proves the might these goddesses had within them. But while they are our creators, they chose to secede their rule to us. They wanted to prevent their creations from feeling a sense of an unbalance of power, so the inhabitants were tasked with upholding the law. At the same time, it would prove to be a good test to see if their creations can govern themselves._

"_Upon making this decision, the goddesses decided to return to the heavens from whence they came. Even to this day, no mortal has ever once laid eyes upon them. However, a relic of their power was rumored to be left behind from the point where they left Hyrule. It's an object that's most commonly referred to as the Golden Power; the sacred Triforce, a symbol many believe to be the contract forged between them and the land._

"_The Triforce is a relic revered by us Hylians and its surrounding kingdoms. It also serves as a symbol for immense power. It was the basis of the kingdoms and the many laws that are in existence today. It was once a single object as it was originally created to be, but the three deities split it into three equal pieces. Each piece lay in hiding in a realm apart from ours and kept away from all. However, they used each pieces' sacred power in order to graft upon the hands of their chosen the symbol of their respective Triforce Piece. As a failsafe, the Golden Power will only appear once the three chosen bearers are brought together through ceremony. Until then, its physical form shall never grace our realm and forever border the line between existence and nothingness in the other._

"_And it's from this Creation Story that the tyrant from centuries ago attempted to destroy this kingdom. Drunk on his lust for power, a man by the name of Ganondorf hailed from the desert and appeared before the King of Hyrule. He wooed the king with lucrative trade deals between the Hylians and the Gerudo amongst other things, but this was only a ruse. His real plan was to obtain all pieces of the Triforce and claim its power as his own. He knew that the Triforce of Wisdom is always passed down through the princess of the Hylian Royal Family. The Triforce of Power was also once a part of the royal family carried through the king himself; but Ganondorf killed him and stole the power for his own. In effect, he had two pieces in his grasp and was on his way to realizing his twisted wishes._

"_With the King of Hyrule dead and the royal council in disarray, many believed it to be the fall of the kingdom. And for those who believed in the Triforce, this marked the end of their existence. It was then that a young man appeared before them wielding the final piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage. With a legendary blade in his hands said to be blessed by one of the goddesses, he bravely fought and bested the tyrant. However, he was unable to kill him as the Triforce of Power fed off his lust and granted him immortality._

"_With no other recourse, the legendary sages who supported the hero in his quest sealed the man in the same realm the Triforce was held. Being sent to a realm of both existence and nothingness, he would be in essence put into a deep sleep, never to wake until the day he returns to our realm. Even as we speak, his followers continue their attempts at summoning him and trying once more to turn his wishes into a reality. When that time comes, the battle between him and the descendant of the Hero of Time will take place once more._"

When Zelda was done reciting the story of both the Creation Story and the Hero of Time; Link was left deep in thought at what he just heard. Never had he heard so much at once about the legend, and he still had a hard time believing it what with all the information fed to him. He was more of a guy who lived in the world of today, a time when reality requires a firm mindset. To believe in this was like trying to convince a child that candy was the worst thing ever!

"Uh, I appreciate you telling me about the legend, milady," the teen responded once he found his voice. "However, I don't see how this has anything to do with now. How does a story of the past have any correlation to why I'm here today?"

"Do you still not see the relations between the two, Link?" the princess asked as she let an incredulous frown approach her face. "While he's not necessarily Ganondorf, Prince Xagrun holds many similarities to him. He hails from Gerudo Desert and has tried everything he could to gain control over Hyrule. He's already wooed both my father and the council into his way of thinking, so it's already enough to show that history's repeating itself. In this case, it means that Ganondorf will somehow be brought back. But if all that is taking place once more, then it holds true that the chosen wielder of the Triforce of Courage will appear."

"W-wait a minute! You're not trying to say that this person is me, are you?" Link had to step back a few paces in response to the surprise. "Forgive my rudeness, but you must be insane! I'm just a farmer! I'll admit that I know a bit about using swords, but it's hardly enough for me to be considered hero material. I'm not a soldier!"

"That may be, but it doesn't shake my belief in that you're the descendant of the Hero of Time! Even if not in battle, you've demonstrated the courage needed for one to bear the Triforce of Courage. If its proof you want, then the mark upon your hand should be enough to convince you of this."

"What mark? I don't have anything like that!"

Without saying a word, the princess took the teen's right hand and brought it beside her own. For a moment, nothing was happening. However, a faint light began to appear on the top of their hands. It was a mark that held three triangles on it in a pyramid shape, both of them having two of the three pieces shining brightly.

"I-I never saw that before!" Link could barely contain his excitement at seeing such an unfamiliar mark on the hand he has seen many times over. "How did it get there?"

"It was always with you from the day you were born," Zelda explained. "It only shows itself when within close distance to another wielder of the Triforce. As you can see, I'm one of those bearers; and I hope this convinces you. You are the descendant of the Hero of Time, and you're the one who'll help us rid the land of Prince Xagrun's influence!" She could barely contain her excitement at this point.

"B-but I can't possibly be this hero that you're making me out to be!" the blond argued, his mind still trying to comprehend that the fantastical story he just heard was in some way a reality. "I probably only know enough about swords to take down a wild animal; I might be able to handle a common thief if I'm lucky. The only training I got with it was from my father back when he was alive five years ago. I'm not soldier material!"

"I understand that I'm asking a lot of you. If swordplay is one of your concerns, I'm willing to provide you with the training necessary should you agree to fight alongside me. Of course, I'm not asking for you to make your decision this minute. I'll give you time to think on it, but I must ask that you supply me with an answer soon. I fear that the prince is already planning his next move, and I rather we act now before it happens."

Before they could say anything else, the door suddenly opened. From it came the woman who escorted Link into the castle, Impa. She had a rather concerned look on her as though she was in a rush to find them.

"Forgive my intrusion, milady!" she quickly apologized, her voice sounding nothing like the flustered behavior she was exuding. "Prince Xagrun is nearby, and I believe he's trying to look for you."

"What?_!_" the princess gasped as she looked down at her hand which was still beside Link's. Soon enough, the third piece of the Triforce began to shine much like the other two pieces.

"Wh-what does this mean?" Link asked. "Don't tell me that prince is also a bearer of the Triforce?"

"Yes, he wields the mark signifying the Triforce of Power," she quickly explained. "That proves he is a descendant of Ganandorf. However, I'm afraid we've little time left to speak of it. You must go now! He can't know you're here!"

"And why not?" The teen had a defiant look in his eyes as though he was ready to go up against the prince. "I'm not afraid of him. In fact, I'd like to give him a piece of my mind after what he put my village through!"

"You may not be afraid of him, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's only capable of threatening rhetoric. What you witnessed last night was only a taste of what he's capable of doing. If you value your life, then you'll leave now!"

"B-but what about me and my brother? I came here wanting to get back what he stole from me!"

"I understand, and I hope this'll be enough to compensate you." Zelda hastily thrust a bag of rupees into Link's hands as Impa motioned for them to hurry up. "Do with it as you wish. I apologize once again for the suffering of your village. I hope you'll consider fighting alongside me against Prince Xagrun. Now go!"

With a quick wave of her hand, Link found himself engulfed within a brilliant blue light. Once it dissipated, he suddenly found himself now outside of the castle walls near the area where Impa first approached him.

"Wh-what the?_!_" he stammered as he looked about. Sure enough, the small breeze that was blowing earlier brushed past his cheeks. The crowd that had gathered by the front castle gates were still there protesting against Xagrun's presence. "How'd I get out here? Did she use magic or something?"

It took him a little while before he snapped out of his stupor. Realizing that he had achieved what he came here to do and got more than he bargained for; he pocketed the bag of rupees Zelda handed him and began his journey back home. The princess's words continued to plague his mind for most of the trek, but he paid it little mind as he knew he was not like his father. He was not a soldier, so what could he possibly do for the kingdom even if he were to be trained by the best swordsman the castle had to offer? No, he was but a farmer, and his key duty lied in both his land's upkeep and the upbringing of his brother. Anything else either had to be pushed aside or buried into the abyss of forgetfulness, and this secret meeting more than met this occasion for the teen.

_-Meanwhile-_

"So this is where you have been, Princess Zelda," Xagrun said as he entered the room. He was alone today, his distant shadow nowhere to be seen at the moment. "I never thought I'd see you traipsing about in the servants' commons. May I ask why you're here in an obsolete part of the castle?"

"I was merely waiting for Impa to arrive," Zelda smoothly replied as though Link was not just there with her. "I wanted to hear her report concerning your kingdom, and I knew she would have to pass through the corridor outside before meeting me."

"Yes, I've noticed that your loyal vassal has returned. May I assume that your visit to my lands proved pleasant?" The prince lightly bowed at Impa out of faux respect. "I only hope my people didn't cause you too much trouble during your stay."

"I will say that your people were rather hospitable to me," Impa said, her face and tone not giving away whatever feelings she had towards the man. "However, I don't think the same can be said about your men and their conduct. Of course, who am I to question the authority that your soldiers claim to follow?"

"My, you have a surprisingly sharp tongue. It's a wonder why the princess chooses to keep someone of such bluntness in her company. But as you've already said, I'm in no position to question another's authority.

"However, I would like to question why her highness chose to wait in this room?" he asked. "You had no guarantee that she would even come in. All you knew was that she had to come through the corridor outside. Was there some other reason for you being here?"

"What are you insinuating, Xagrun?" the princess asked in an offended tone. "Is it all that strange for you to see a member of royalty here in the servants' commons? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're also in here with me."

"I hope you're not trying to make me out to be a fool. I only saw your vassal enter this room not even two minutes ago! As I was nearing here, I heard you speaking to someone in a soft yet frantic voice. May I hazard a guess that you were speaking with someone else before either of us came in?"

"Do you honestly believe that to be possible? Just take a good look at this room!" Zelda waved her arms around to demonstrate the quaintness of the room along with the overall lack of a proper place to hide. "I'm sure that you would've notice someone trying to make themselves scarce the moment you walked in! The only person I talked to before you came was with Impa, and I was frantic because I was concerned about the safety regarding her journey back. Am I not allowed to feel as such being that she's my most trusted vassal?"

Whether or not Xagrun bought Zelda's story, he clearly was not about to further press the issue. As much as he suspected her actions, he was unable to do anything without first having to cause unneeded political tension. Instead, he gave a shrug of his shoulders and began to make his way back outside.

"…Just allow me to make one thing clear, milady," he added as he stopped short of the doorway. "Don't think that you'll be free to concoct some plan to be rid of me now that your loyal vassal has returned. I don't intend to leave Hyrule anytime soon; both your father and the council are more than willing to accommodate my extended visit. If you try to further disrupt my plans, I won't hesitate to make more examples out of your people. I'm sure you don't want any of your other towns to undergo the same treatment that Faron Village undergone last night." He then exited the room and disappeared into the hallways of the castle.

"…Princess Zelda, are you sure it's wise to involve Link into our affairs?" Impa asked once Xagrun was out of earshot. "I can see that the boy has within him the courage befitting of the Triforce. However, I must doubt his ability to help us. He has no knowledge of our politics, and your usage of Farore's Wind might've been his first known experience with magic."

"I understand your hesitancy, Impa," Zelda replied with a slow nod. "However, I know that he's the only one who can help us fight Xagrun. Swordplay is something he can learn, and his familiarity with magic will come with time. And in terms of politics, I'm afraid it will have no place if the prince gets his way with Hyrule. All I ask is that you grant me your support in this endeavor."

"You no need to ask, milady," the vassal replied with a respectful bow. "You are wise beyond your years, and I believe that is why Prince Xagrun's spell over this castle has no effect on you. As much as I might doubt the boy's abilities, I know that only the one chosen by the Triforce of Courage can stand against the one who wields the Triforce of Power. As such, it's our duty to prepare him as much as possible for the impending battle. If there's anything you need me to help with, you need only ask."

With only a smile of appreciation, the princess let the matter drop. She knew deep down that control over Hyrule was only the first step into Ganondorf's revival. She had no idea how that was to play into everything, but she was going to do everything in her power to stop it from happening. Now that she had met the descendant of the Hero of Time and gauged his courage for herself; she grew more confident that her kingdom would be liberated from this power-hungry leech of a Gerudo prince!

* * *

Well, we've seem to have finally started to touch on the main plot of the story. It only took like five chapters to get there, but at least those chapters helped to give you all the general characterization of the key characters and were not just pointless filler.

But yeah, there's not much to say here since this chapter is pretty self-explanatory. Everything's starting to build up to the main plot, and this chapter is the glue that's now being applied to it. And yes, the creation story was based off of the story given to us from Ocarina of Time. The story of the Hero of Time was also a rip from the Ocarina of Time, but I felt that it was most appropriate for what I was going for with this story. Like I said, I will be borrowing some themes from the games to supplement the story. Overall, this story is it's own individual creation and has no direct ties to other games apart from the indirect bits I add every now and then. Just think of those connections as Easter eggs, bits that have nothing to do with the game but are my personal ways to pay homage to the original games.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading this chapter and figuring out that the woman Link met was Impa. I just had to fit her in somehow, and I figured this was as good a time as any. Please don't forget to leave review telling me your thoughts and concerns with the story. Until the next update on this or any of my other stories on here everybody! And if I don't get an update up within the next three days, have a great and safe Fourth of July!


	7. Back Home

Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter a little over a week since the last one was published. Sorry for the wait. School's starting to pick up, and the work is kind of piling behind me. I'm somewhat caught up with it, but it's rather hard to do when the subject's boring as sin and not fun to learn about. Oh well, can't do much about it. At least I managed to finish this chapter in-between work and homework. With that said, sorry if parts sound choppy or rushed. It's not exactly my greatest chapter considering all of the distractions I had to go through. So sorry again if this isn't up to par with what I've already written. And if the title for this chapter sucks, sorry again.

**SoulC:** Boy, you sure know how to read the pacing for stories, do you? I'm honestly thinking of introducing the action like one or two chapters from now. You, my friend, are a very good analyzer of stories. I rarely see that, and it's a breath of fresh air to see at least a semi-serious reviewer such as you on here. Thanks for your review and comments.

**OrangeStreakedStar:** Thanks for your review. I really tried to make all the characters interesting and easy to connect to on some level. And with Connor, I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with him. Except for small bits of the next chapter, I haven't really planned ahead for what will happen beyond this current chapter. Still, I'm glad that I made Connor well enough that you don't want him dying in some way or another.

**Skittycreamstar:** Thanks for your review. I understand that the popular culture has Link's triforce on his left hand. However, my interpretation of it is that the mark will often appear on the wielder's dominant hand. However, it can appear on the off hand when the hands of the wielders are placed side by side. In the last chapter's case, Zelda's and Link's hands were right next to each other when they appeared, and it popped up on the hands closest to the other. I know it's a bad explanation, but that's what I believe about the marks. But yeah, a good attention to detail there.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Back Home**

After his brief meeting with Zelda, Xagrun made his way to the castle garden. He was still suspicious about the princess's reason for being in the servants' commons, but he was in no position to act against her based on his suspicions. That was why he found himself in the garden, to clear his mind and figure out his next step to power.

"… …I know you're here," he called out to the empty land around him. No sooner when he said that, his shadowy attendant who had been absent appeared from behind a nearby large rose bush. He was still dressed in his usual secretive fashion, although he had his hood off and exposed his mess of short black hair. "I failed to see you at your post this morning. Care to explain where you were?"

"I was conducting some research," the cloaked man simply replied. "I've noticed that we have run into a roadblock of sorts and thought it best to see what I can do. However, I've caught wind that you met with Princess Zelda not too long ago. I feel it pointless to ask, but how did the impromptu meeting go?"

"She's still as stubborn as ever. However, I've noticed that she has been acting strangely as of late. I just saw her wandering around in one of the servants' rooms having a conversation with her vassal. I don't know what she was doing, but I know it was more than that. I don't know if she was really somehow communicating with someone else. It's clear to me, though, that she's planning something."

"Hmm, then perhaps we should try speeding things along. We may be running down her options, but I wouldn't dare wait for her to give birth to a plan that can put a stop to us. Does she still show resistance even after your little show last night?"

"She cares about her people, but clearly not enough to give us control over the kingdom. I don't think anything short of total annihilation of her towns would make her concede before me. And don't say it; I know that the council won't take to the idea even while under the spell of complacency you put on them."

"Well, I never expected her to resist us for so long," the secretive man murmured as he began pacing. "At this rate, I feel we'll have worn out our welcome before that treaty is signed. If we don't have it, then we'll have no reason to keep close watch over the princess and her piece of the Golden Power. I'd like to avoid going to war as much as possible and have her become a prisoner, but I fear it might come to that."

"For once, I agree with you," Xagrun admitted with a frustrated sigh. "It'll be too messy if we do that. Still, she's not going to leave us much choice. Is there anything else we haven't tried yet that might work?"

"...I believe there is but one more method that we've yet to exhaust, my prince. If you would, think for a moment about everything that we've done thus far in attempts to take control. We've managed to garner some influence over the council through my magic and have them believing our intentions will do good for Hyrule. We also were able to fool their muddled minds into signing the peace treaty. It's just unfortunate that Princess Zelda couldn't be convinced, and she proves even now to continually go against us on this. Every action we've done to persuade her have roots to some mode of violence. Clearly, this isn't a route we should be taking with her. She proves to fight us back at every turn, but I wonder if even she will be able to resist our next move?" the man asked, his tone carrying a hint of deviousness.

"If not by show of force, then how am I supposed to make the princess relinquish her control to me?" The prince had a look of confusion as he tried to think of a tactic that did not revolve around the use of violence. "My kingdom does what I tell them to do through it; I'm sure it'll work here if I have but a little more time!"

"Unfortunately, time isn't what we have. If you think on it for but a moment, I'm sure you'll see how another mode of attack might prove just as swift if not more so. If not, then allow me to spell it out for you. What I'm proposing you do is to… …"

_-Meanwhile-_

Link's trip back to Faron Village was as uneventful as his trip to Hyrule Castle. Just as it was when he first left, his return trip proved rather easy. Xagrun's guards were still harassing all people coming by with wagons yet generally ignoring those entering on their own. Being that he only had the bag of money from Zelda hanging on his belt, the soldiers never gave him a second glance. Instead, they were busy harassing yet another supply wagon trying to get in the village with relief supplies.

It was about midafternoon when he finally returned to his farm. It was just as he had left it, intact with no signs of the soldiers' "personal" touches. The chickens were busy clucking away in their coop, and the crops were growing healthily. All the repair jobs that needed to be done were caused from the passage of time. Even the fact that Connor was outside doing his chores proved that everything was normal.

…_Wait a minute!_ the teen thought as he did a double take. He then said as he approached the wooden fence, "Well, isn't this a first?" Connor immediately looked up from his work on the crops and ran up to him. "You're actually doing your chores without me telling you to. Who are you and what did you do with Connor?"

"Hey, what else do you want me to do?" the boy argued as he leaned against the fence. "I was bored while you were gone. I had to do something. And I figured you were going to yell at me for doing nothing when you came back, so I thought I'd try avoiding it."

"That's a pretty bad reason for wanting to do your chores, you know? Oh well, at least it's better than you doing nothing. But seriously, thanks for taking care of some things while I was gone. So did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Eh, it was about the same as it is every other day. But forget about all that. I want to know about what happened at Hyrule Castle!" Connor exclaimed with an eager smile. "So how was it? Does it look cooler up close? Were you able to get inside? I mean, you did leave this morning and it's only early afternoon. I'm thinking you didn't since you were only gone for a few hours."

Instead of answering, Link merely hopped over the fence and ruffled his brother's dark brown hair before heading to the house. At the same time, he had on a knowing smile that did not go unnoticed by his little brother.

"You _did_ go into the castle, didn't you? Come on; that's the only reason why you're smiling like that. Tell me what it was like! Was it all rich and fancy-looking? Do the guards inside dress differently than the ones who patrol our village? Did you get to see someone about our money?"

"Whoa, slow down!" the blond exclaimed with a bemused look as he sat down. While he was expecting to be asked these kind of questions, the speed at which they were coming caught him off guard. "One question at a time, Connor! Yes, it was kind of fancy, but I only got to see where the castle staff hangs out which still looked great in its own right. No, the guards there look pretty much the same as those who regularly come to patrol and pick up our produce for the castle. And yes, I was able to talk to somebody about our money. However, I doubt that you'll be able to guess who it was."

"Come on, Link; you know I hate guessing. Just tell me already!"

"Alright then, brace yourself. Not only did I managed to get an audience with a member of the Royal Council; I got to meet with Princess Zelda herself!"

"What?_!_ Get out of here!" Connor quickly scoffed at the idea. "There's no way you got to see her! She's way too busy and all the way up there to be talking with people like us," he said while stretching an arm above his head for visual effect. "Be serious with me now. Who did you talk to?"

"I already told you. But if you don't believe me, then take a look at what she gave us." Link unhooked the bag of rupees from his belt and tossed it to his brother who caught it with an audible grunt. "I don't think other members of the royal council would have that much to give out in one go."

Already shocked at the weight of the bag, the young boy eagerly opened to bag to see what was inside it. His eyes bulged as he stuck his hand in and pulled out some rupees, most of which were of differing colors. He then quickly dumped the rest onto the table and began sorting them out by color to see how much there was altogether.

"…You've got to be kidding me!" he whispered after adding them all up. Link was still at his seat looking at the pile trying to make a mental count of it all. "There's like a little over five hundred rupees in here! You really were being serious when you said you spoke with the princess, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," the blond dumbly replied as he recovered from the sudden windfall. "She didn't say how much she gave me, but I didn't think it'd be that much! Even after I take what we lost, that's still over three hundred. What am I supposed to do with all that?"

"We'll worry about that later. Let's just be happy we've got such a lucky break. And that's not to mention that you actually got to meet the princess in person," the other added with an even wider smile. "So tell me!"

Link merely raised a confused eyebrow at the sudden statement.

"Tell me about Princess Zelda. What's she like in person? Is she like all the other guys in the Royal Council?"

"N-No, she's nothing like the councilmembers. She actually listened to what I had to say instead of just pretending to hear and then forget about it later. Even though she's a member of the Royal Family, she doesn't have that kind of heavy pretentiousness about her. It's like she's willing to try and connect with me on some level. Then again, I guess that wasn't hard seeing how she also doesn't like Prince Xagrun."

"Wow, she actually said that to you? And here I thought that royalty was supposed to sound all neutral and whatnot. And how about her looks? Is she as pretty as the castle guards that come here say?"

"Well, I'd say the guards did a good job with their description of her," Link replied as he tried to recall Zelda's features. "Like they say, she has long blond hair that goes perfectly with her blue eyes. I guess you could say she looks kind of like me minus being a guy and having all these muscles."

"Oh boy, that's one image I didn't want popping into my head," Connor teased as he made a faux disgusted face. His older brother reached across the table and punched him in the arm as a result. "But yeah, she does sound like a nice girl. It's too bad she doesn't really make any public appearances except for special occasions. And what about Xagrun? Is she trying to find some way to deal with the guy? I think you said that she's like us and doesn't like him all that much."

"…She didn't really say much on it." The teen hesitated for a moment as he suddenly remembered the discussion she had with Zelda about the desert prince. "All she told me was that she had some plan to get rid of him. Something about having found a warrior able to get him out of Hyrule. She was kind of vague about it, so I'm not too sure."

"Aw, that sucks. At least we know she's on our side with this! I guess not everyone in the castle isn't just ignoring what that idiot's doing to us."

"Link, Connor; are you there?" Malon's voice suddenly called out.

"Is she back already?" Link murmured under his breath as he got up and walked outside. Sure enough, the girl was standing on the other side of the fence with Epona pulling behind her what seemed to be a wagon full of supplies. Malon herself was dressed differently than when he first saw her at the castle gates. She now had on a leather cloak befitting one who was getting ready to go somewhere.

"Hi, Malon," the blond greeted as he approached her. Connor was following behind him and gave an energetic wave. What're you doing with all that stuff?"

"Well, I'm just here to say goodbye," the girl replied. "My dad's planning on moving out by the end of the day, so I'll be pretty busy packing when I go home."

"You're leaving?" Connor asked. Why didn't you tell us about it earlier?"

"Actually, our move wasn't supposed to happen until the end of the month. There were some things we wanted to take care of first. But because of what happened last night, dad decided to push the move up to today. We've lost a lot of money from that, so it pushed his plans forward so we can start fresh sooner. That's why Epona's pulling the wagon full of stuff; we're getting ready to leave."

"I guess then that your protests at the castle didn't go that well then?"

"How did you know about that, Link?" she asked with a suspicious eyebrow raised. "Were you spying on me?"

"N-no, it's not like that! It's just that I went there myself and saw you there. I just didn't have much of a chance to talk to you then since the crowd was pretty thick."

"Hmm, and is that why you're dressed in your father's old military uniform?" Malon had an amused smile on her face as she scanned the other from head to toe as she took in the sight of the traditional Hylian garb that the Royal Guard wore. "Were you thinking that you'll have a better time getting into the castle if you wore it?"

"Believe it or not, it actually worked!" Connor began explaining excitedly. "He didn't really tell me how he got in, but he did. And here's the cool part; he actually got to meet with Princess Zelda herself!"

"Now that can't be true! Getting into the castle is one thing, but being able to hold an audience with the princess herself is another story!"

"But it's true, and he has proof of it!" The young boy quickly ran back into the house and came out a few seconds later with the bag of rupees. "This is what the princess gave him as apology for what Xagrun did to us. Take a look and see how much is in there; you'll never guess how much she gave him!"

"… …Why, this is…!" The girl nearly dropped the bag in shock after peering at its contents. "There're colors that I've rarely ever seen in this bag. I dare to ask how much there is altogether in here!"

"Over five hundred rupees. I already counted it."

"My goodness! Only the Royal Family would have that much money readily available to give out. You really did meet with Princess Zelda, didn't you?"

"I'm still having a hard time believing it myself, but I did," Link replied as Connor took the bag back from her. His eyes then suddenly lit up as though he came up with an idea. "Even though she gave the money to me as her way of saying sorry, it's still way too much for me to keep. That's why…I've decided to give half of it to you and your family, Malon."

"What?_!_" Malon exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth in shock. "I-I couldn't possibly take that much money from you! Not only is it yours, but the princess personally handed it all to you."

"That's true, but she also said I could do with it as I saw fit. That means I can help you out after what happened last night."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Connor happily agreed as he ran back into the house. Almost a minute later, he came back out with two bags. He then handed one to the girl before saying, "I already split it in half. It should be enough to get back what Xagrun stole from you while also having a little extra to work with."

"B-but are you sure about it?" she asked, still surprised at what she was being offered. "I mean, we might not see each other again after today. There's no way I could possibly pay you back."

"Malon, this isn't a loan," the blond explained before taking the bag from Connor and placing it into Malon's. "This is a gift from me and Connor to you and your dad. After all that you both did to help us over the past few years, this is the least we can do. If anything, it should be us trying to pay you back for that."

For a few moments, she merely stood quiet as she held onto the bag that was given to her. It was not until later that she decided to accept their gift and carefully placed it in the wagon.

"Thank you so much, you two! You don't know how much of a help this will be for me and my dad."

"Aw, it was nothing!" the young boy replied with a big grin.

"You and your dad have a safe trip to wherever it is you're going," Link cautioned as Malon was preparing to continue on her way. He had since hopped over the fence and gave Epona one more friendly pet before she left. "If he tries to come back to return the money, tell him that it's a going away gift. And if that doesn't work, then say that the princess gave it to me to do with it how I want."

"Don't worry; I'll convince him about it if he gets stubborn. Thank you again for the gift." She then got beside her horse and began guiding it down the path to her farm. "Goodbye, you two! I hope I'll get to see you again."

"Same here, and safe travels to you!" Connor replied back.

"…Well, at least someone in this town's managing to get away from Xagrun's oppression better with more than they had before being robbed," Link replied after watching Malon slowly disappear down the road. "I just hope she and her dad don't run into any problems while out on the road."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine," the young boy assured him as he began fiddling with the other bag filled with their half of the rupees. "Don't forget that Epona's with them. She's not going to let anybody get in their way anytime soon."

"Yeah, just like that time you thought it'd be funny to hop onto the horse's back without her knowing," the blond reminded as he began walking to the crop field.

"Hey, I was just trying to have a little fun! How was I supposed to know she was going to buck around and throw me off? She nearly broke my arm that time! And you weren't helping by just standing around laughing at me!"

"Well, it served you right for trying to spook her. Now come on; put the money away and I'll help you finish the rest of today's chores."

With a low grumble at the mention of more chores, Connor went back into the house and got himself ready for more work. In the meantime, Link picked up a nearby pitchfork and began tilling the soil, all while thinking about Malon's departure and what Princess Zelda told him.

* * *

And that's pretty much it. Sorry again if the ending isn't that great. As I said, too many distractions came around and kind of dulled down what could've admittedly been better. Still, it's better than nothing. I honestly think I can't do this any better under the personal conditions I'm in now. But yeah, I got to go and do homework now. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review before you go away. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories everybody!


	8. A Difficult Decision

Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter for this story. Sorry for the two week delay or however long it was this time around. Like I keep repeating, work and school is keeping me busy. Actually, it's more school since the workload seems to be somewhat random every week. At least being at work is constant since it's just to appear and teach people how to swim. Still, it's pretty repetitive after a while. At least it's easy money.

But yeah, I thank you all for being ever so patient with me on this. To be honest, I was hoping to have this done last week. Unfortunately, it was pushed far back down on my list of things to do and wasn't finished until today when this was posted. Oh well, at least the delay made this chapter seem a lot better than the previous one. I'm happier with the outcome of this one, although I suppose it's because it sounds less like a filler chapter. As you'll figure out after reading this, things are starting to pick up and no longer being as simple as things once were.

I hope that you all enjoy reading this new chapter as much as I had making it! But before I leave you all alone, let me get through the reviews first.

**SoulC:** That's true. Stories tend to always follow a certain guideline even though the material itself is different. The only thing that keeps it from sounding like a repetitive mess is the content being written. With that said, I'm glad that you like Connor's character. When I first wrote him, I was worried about how readers would take to him as being Link's little brother. I was mainly going for a bit of a human connection with the relationship as well as have him be a bit of childish humor whenever possible. I do have many possible ideas for him, but I'm still not sure which one I want to stick with. I'll figure it out when it comes along. Until then, I'm not even going to think about what he can further offer to the story.

**OrangeStreakedStar:** Yes, I was kind of going for that initial feel when writing about Link and Zelda's first meeting. With how the royal council seems indifferent to the things that Xagrun has subjected the people to, I thought it only natural for Link to feel some sort of initial animosity towards the princess. Of course, I made it clear that it wasn't the case after having her explain everything that was going on and her plans. And yes, having him unfazed at Malon's sudden leave from Faron Village was to serve as an indicator that they were nothing more than good friends. At first, I was playing with the idea that you guys as readers can see the relationship however you want. Of course, I decided to just nix the idea and make it clear that they are merely very good friends. I hope it doesn't cause any unneeded trouble with you or the other readers.

**Skittycreamstar:** Thanks for the review. It's rather surprising to see that you gave me only a one sentence review this time around. Still, it's good to know that you're silently supporting the continuation of my story. Although, I suppose that it is a bit reflective at the fact that my last chapter did somewhat suck in terms of execution. I hope that this chapter will be better and hopefully more thought-evoking for you. Thanks again!

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Difficult Decision**

It was late in the afternoon by the time Link and Connor finished the day's chores. Both were standing in front of their house admiring the results of their work. The field looked a lot neater than before, the dirt around the crops evenly tilled and the general home repairs now completed. The weeds had been pulled and put aside in a pile next to some firewood, slowly drying out to soon become tinder. Even the crops themselves looked healthier after being trimmed of sickly leaves and invasive bugs that threatened to kill the plants. It may have taken a bit of effort, but it helped to beautify their farmland.

"Boy, that sure took a while," Connor sighed as he plopped down against the wall. "But yeah, this place definitely looks a lot better!"

"I don't remember it having looked like this in a long time," Link admitted as he admired their work. "I think the last time it looked good was when dad was still alive and we still had our big plot of land. It's hard to believe that it took almost five years to make things look as close to how things used to be."

"…But there's still one thing we need to do for it to be like how it was before," the young boy said after a moment's thought. He then picked up the broom handle that he broke yesterday and left lying against the wall. "We need to have ourselves a sword fight! Remember how we used to have them with dad when we finished our work?"

"What is it with you and sword fighting?" the blond asked with an amused smile. Still, he seemed willing to entertain the idea in his mind. "Are you thinking of joining the military or something when you're older?"

"No, I just think that swords are cool. When dad taught us about them, I loved it when we got to all those sword moves. That's why I like swinging things around; it makes me feel closer to him."

"…Alright then. If you want to go whacking each other with sticks, then let's go ahead and do it." Link then went back into their house and came out a minute later with two objects in his hands. Both clearly had the shape of a sword, and they were revealed to be wooden replicas carved by a carefully steady hand. However, the edges of the blades along with the hilt and hand guard were made of metal to provide a pit of realism in both weight and strikes.

"You still had those this whole time?" Connor asked as he stared at the faux weapons. "I thought we lost them!"

"You were only seven when I put them aside. I didn't want you killing me or potentially destroy the house with them. And I figured you'd grow out of it soon, but I guess I was wrong there. But yeah, think fast!" The teen suddenly threw the wooden blade to his younger brother who caught it with amazing ease despite later stumbling a bit with its weight. "If you want a sword fight, then you're going to get it. Just a word of warning; don't think that I've forgotten about how to use these. If anything, I should remember more than you!"

"Really? I'd love to see that!"

Without much warning, Connor ran up with his sword above his head before bringing it down and using its weight as power. While caught off-guard, Link parried the obvious move with ease by bringing his weapon between the offending blade and his head. He then pushed his brother backward through the connection of their blades and formally prepared himself for another attack.

The young boy immediately went in for another strike, but he was tamer this time around. It was now just a series of accurately simple attacks that were easily blocked and evaded by his older brother. Clearly, he remembered the things that their father taught him about swordplay. However, his lack of any real training beyond the strikes were evident.

In Link's case, he seemed to be faring much better in this playful fight despite having not yet making a strike. While it was true that he could read to some degree his brother's moves, the blond had received more training than the other. Being that he was older, he was able to learn more about using a combination of blocks and attacks. Since Connor was younger, their dad merely worked on getting his accuracy down first before allowing him to onto more complex moves.

"Geez, you're pretty wild with the sword," the blond grunted as he parried yet another blow. "If this were a real fight, you'll wear yourself out to death!"

"So says the one…who's just blocking everything!" the young boy panted, his fatigue starting to set in as his strikes became heavier but slower. "You're making it boring! Why don't you…try something other than…parrying?"

"You're already beating yourself up for me. It's pretty simple to defeat you now!" With merely a simple swipe of his sword, he swung at Connor's exposed side which the boy easily dodged. Unfortunately, he was already too tired from his wild barrage of attacks and fell to the ground from the force. Before he could even make his way back up, he found himself facing the sharp end of the wooden blade.

"Dang it; I almost had you, Link! I was going at you so much, and you just swung at me once to win. Talk about your cheap wins!"

"Like I said, you were beating yourself up," Link explained as he helped his little brother to his feet. "You got good strength, but you need to slow down. Tiring yourself out so quickly is a surefire way to die. If I were fighting to kill, my sword would be in your throat."

Instead of responding, the other merely gave a childish pout. The fact that he was not saying anything was enough to indicate he knew the teen was right. Still, he was not going to admit it outright, especially when he does not usually readily admit his wrongs.

"Still, I'll admit that you have pretty good accuracy," the blond conceded. "That and you know how to use your weight in your attacks. Either you really remember everything dad taught you, or you've been practicing on someone."

"If I was sword fighting with someone, I think you'd have heard some of our neighbors complaining. Ever thought that I'm just a natural with it?"

"A natural who just got his butt beat by his older brother?"

Connor quickly shot Link a dirty glance. However, it disappeared just as quickly as he shifted his attention to something in the distance. Noticing this, the blond turned around to see what was there and saw a couple soldiers coming their way. This time, the soldiers were those from Hyrule Castle as noted by the royal insignia on their armor.

"Greetings, boys!" one of the soldiers greeted as they neared the farm. "We come today to announce a wondrous occasion for Hyrule. News has arrived this morning that Prince Xagrun has asked for Princess Zelda's hand in marriage. The ceremony has already been arranged by His Majesty, and it will take place first thing tomorrow morning."

"She's actually marrying that guy? Man, she must have some pretty low standards to be going for him." The young boy let out a disbelieving laugh while the two soldiers gave him a shifty glance for the comment.

"Might I ask why you're telling us this?" Link asked as he tried to divert attention from his brother. "As great an occasion this is for our country, telling this to simple farmers doesn't seem like a good way to spread the news."

"On the contrary, it's one of the best ways to do it," the soldier explained. "Now that you know, we hope that you'll further spread news of the occasion to your friends."

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be doing that anytime soon."

"Shut up, Connor!" the blond whispered harshly as the soldiers continued to glare at the boy.

"I suggest you teach the young boy how to hold his tongue on otherwise delicate topics," the other soldier warned, finally speaking up after having been silent since arriving. "If this wasn't about Prince Xagrun, we would be down your throats for disrespect within the minute. But I digress; there's another reason why we've come to speak with you. Namely, it's about the penalty tax you paid last night." He then walked up to Link after reaching into his pouch and pulling out a carefully folded letter.

"But I've already made my peace on the matter at the castle gates this morning," the teen said, an eyebrow raised in confusion at what this meant. However, he felt it best to make no further mentions of his trip to the castle so as to not become suspicious in the guards' eyes. "Who there would bother writing to me about this?"

"I don't know, but I suggest you give it a read whenever you can. After all, I doubt that whoever penned it would've gone through the trouble of having a soldier like me personally deliver it to you." The guard then whispered as he drew near Link while handing over the letter, "It's from Princess Zelda. She asks that you heed her plea for help and come to her aid as soon as possible.

"Well then, I believe it's time that we continue on with our rounds," he quickly said in a jovial manner before Link could voice a question. "I hope you two have a good rest of the day. And do remember to try employing more tact when speaking of someone such as Prince Xagrun, young boy."

"When he starts treating us with respect, then maybe I'll stop dissing him!" Connor exclaimed as the two soldiers continued on their way down the path and spreading word of tomorrow's royal marriage. He then said to his older brother, "I can't believe the princess is actually going to marry the guy. And here I thought she was on our side."

"She probably didn't have much of a choice, Connor," Link suggested as he continued to stare at the letter in his hands. "The king might've arranged it. I don't know why he'd let her go and marry Xagrun, but I'm sure it's not of her own free will."

"Geez, talk about being a prisoner of your own life. But yeah, what's with that letter the soldier gave you? Is it from the princess? Can I see?"

"How about you get your nosy self in the house and wash up?" the teen suggested. "You worked up a sweat during our fight, and I don't want you dripping it in the food. That and I'm not about to let you snoop around in my private business."

"Aw, you're such a killjoy, you know?" Instead of trying to persuade the other into seeing the contents of the letter, the boy resigned to the other's suggestion and went inside to wash up. Now that he was gone, the teen unfolded the piece of paper and began to read what was written to him in beautiful handwriting by the princess.

"_Dear Link,_" he silently read, "_I've no doubt you've already heard, but I'm to marry Prince Xagrun. The ceremony is to be held first thing tomorrow morning. If you haven't done so, I ask that you please decide on your stance regarding my proposal. If you choose to continue living as a farmer, then I'll respect your wishes and trouble you no more. However, I must ask that you at least come to the castle and disrupt the ceremony regardless of your choice. Xagrun will become my lawfully wedded husband when it's over. When that happens, he'll have an even powerful grip over Hyrule. While it will only delay his rise to power, it'll grant me more time to think. Please hurry! Your Royal Highness, Princess Zelda._"

After reading the contents of the letter, Link folded it up and placed it in his pocket. The action was more automatic than anything else as his mind was preoccupied with what Zelda was asking of him to do. It was only mere hours ago that he was standing before her wanting to ask about the grief that Xagrun put him and Connor through. Instead of that, he received a history lesson of sorts regarding the kingdom's creation and how he could help her thwart the desert prince's plans of ruling Hyrule. He hardly had any time to mull over it all, and now here he was being rushed into making a decision.

"Hey Link, I'm thinking of preparing a couple of eggs and some of the vegetables Malon gave us for dinner tonight!" Connor called out, the sound of splashing water coming from inside the houses. "That okay with you?"

"Uh, that's fine!" the blond replied back, his mind hardly registering what was suggested. He then thought as he made his way to the house, _I need to give this some more thought. I mean, she isn't going to be married until tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'll have it all figured out before going to bed._

As the rest of the day wore on, he found himself still indecisive about the role he wanted to play in all this. Dinner was somewhat lively thanks in part to Connor being the ever restless boy he was with lots to talk about. Link merely nodded and provided short answers whenever it was appropriate, his little brother oblivious to the lack of conversational participation. Even when it was time to turn in for the night with his little brother sound asleep like a rock, he was still unsure about everything.

Currently, he was lying on his bed with the lantern still lit on his bedside table. It had been dimmed considerably so as to not disturb his brother's sleep, but it was still bright enough for him to read over once more the letter that was in his hands. No matter how many times he went through its contents, his mind was never made up. He played out the pros and cons of both decisions in his head repeatedly, hoping that somewhere along the line he could find that one thing which would help tip the scales in his favor for either choice.

On the one hand, he could just ignore Zelda's pleas for help and let her take care of the problem herself. While clearly not wanting for such a decision, she would have no choice but to accept his position as she already stated in her letter. Xagrun would then have the power to take control over Hyrule through his role as the kingdom's prince. Things would no doubt become worse, but at least he and Connor would be able move to a land free of Hyrule's influences and start a new life. The money given to them by the princess along with the sale of their farm would serve to be enough for the journey. If their lucky, it might even be enough for a down payment for a plot of land on whatever new kingdom they arrive at. No longer would he have to worry about being robbed blind under the guise of a penalty tax and wonder when the next round of hardships will come about.

On the other hand, he could agree to help get rid of Xagrun. He could go and disrupt the marriage ceremony at the risk of his own safety, but she would most likely have devised some plan to help him out of that mess. Once they have stalled the prince's rise to power, Zelda would then make good on her promise and grant him the training he needs in order to become her fabled Hero of Time. He will learn the way of the sword like his father had during his service to the kingdom and rid the land of a man who all agree to be a pox on their very livelihood. The road would be hard. His little brother would no doubt be put through dangers he otherwise would never be in. But once the trials are passed and the prince defeated, he will be hailed as a savior. All will recognize him as the one who liberated Hyrule, and his difficult but simple life will be exchanged for one of both ease and complexities.

At the end of the day, once he discarded all of the frivolous perks and downfalls of each decision, he came up with the main question that was staring him in the face. Does he believe in what Zelda said in that he has powers given to him by the Hero of Time? As irrefutable as the evidence might be that he is the descendent, does he want to follow up on the legend and involve himself in a royal conflict that hardly concerns him? Does he even want to indulge the princess in her hopes that he alone can save Hyrule from Xagrun's lust for power? And most importantly, does he want to take part in something that would not only place his life in danger but that of his little brother's as well?

"… … …I need to talk with the Elder about this," he murmured as he got off his bed and got dressed in his dad's uniform once more. He wanted to be prepared for whatever decision he was going to make, and he felt that the Village Elder would be able to help him with it. "Maybe he'll be able to help me."

Once he was ready, he put out the lantern before making his way to the Elder's house. Being that it was already so late into the evening, everybody was in their house sleeping until the next morning light came around. The roads were dark with only the full moon illuminating the path before him. The bugs that relished in the night air chirped away as though eulogizing the protection it granted them from predators. He merely ignored it and made his way down the road with the ease that came with familiarity of the land.

In a matter of minutes, he reached the main area of Faron Village. Due to both its size and position in the village, Link easily distinguished which was the Elder's house and made his way to it. Oddly enough, there was a flickering light coming from behind the building along with a bit of smoke signaling that a fire was lit. Knowing that the Elder's guards would never go on patrol with the aid of a torch, he could only assume that the man himself was still awake. His suspicions were soon confirmed as he turned the corner and saw the man sitting by the fire in his white cloak, his staff lying nearby on the floor. Not far off was a guard who had taken notice of the teen and calmly walked by.

"Link, what're you doing here at this hour?" the guard asked in a tone that was just above a whisper.

"I wanted to speak with the Elder," Link simply replied. "There's something that I wish to seek his consul on."

"Couldn't it wait until tomorrow? While he may be awake now, don't you think that this is an unreasonable time for a visit?"

"This isn't something that can wait. It's too important to not be asked now. Please," the teen pleaded as he stood his ground.

"… … …Alright." The guard let out a sigh as he stepped aside and allowed the blond to pass by.

"…Good evening, Link," the Elder greeted just as said teen was about to approach him. "I'd say I'm surprised to see you at this hour, but I'd be lying."

"You knew I was coming?" the blond asked as he took a seat across the fire.

"I would say it was more of a hunch. One of my guards went to Hyrule Castle in my stead this morning to protest Xagrun's actions. He told me he saw you being escorted into the castle. I assumed then that somebody from the inside wanted to speak with you and that you would come to me with questions later. Am I wrong to think so?"

Instead of answering, Link remained silent. He should have figured that the old man had somehow figured out his exploits. While not necessarily a nosy person, the Elder had a knack for knowing when a person was having problems of any magnitude.

"I also sense that you're somewhat hesitant about something," he continued on after having read his answer from the silence. "By chance, does it have something to do with your visit to Hyrule Castle?"

"…It does. Something happened to me while I was there, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act now. It might be hard to believe, but the princess met with me personally and asked me to do something for her. I've been thinking about it all day, but I still don't know what I want to do. I need to decide by tomorrow morning."

"Hmm, so she's bestowed upon you a request. Perhaps she sees something in you that she doesn't in others. Might I suppose that this has something to do with the recent incident regarding Xagrun's visit to our village?"

"It was a result of that, but what she's asking of me is on a larger scale than what happened here. I don't know if I should say more about it, but I can tell you that whatever she has planned involves me somehow. I don't know what it is, and I don't really understand it myself. I wish I knew more so I could explain it better."

"There's no need to explain, Link," the Elder said with a reassuring glance. "Some things are understood even without being spoken of. If the princess saw it fit to ask you to do something in regards to what the desert prince is doing, then she must see an abundance of courage within you. I doubt she would ask otherwise were it not the case."

"I'm still debating whether or not I have the courage she says I have," Link scoffed as he stared into the flames. "After all, one wouldn't think of a farmer when asked to define it. But aside from that, I lack the kind of formal training for what she's asking me to do. What good is courage if I don't have what it takes to see things through?"

"It's true that you may not have the necessary skills to handle what she's asking of you to do. However, that's not all what courage is. It's also having the will to face whatever hardships that come your way to learn what is needed of you to fulfill your goals. To learn what you need to know without fear or hesitation, the want to learn not only for your own good but for the sake of others; that is where the true potential of courage lies. It matters not if you're a soldier or a farmer; what matters is where your heart lies."

For a few moments, there was silence between the two. Link was thinking about what he was told and wondering what position his heart was telling him to take. But unlike being just a farmer and having to decide what animal to buy, he was choosing whether to take a proactive role in Hyrule's struggle or continue to ignore it as much as he can? Which decision would he feel comfortable identifying as the right one?

"With decisions that revolve around a man such as Xagrun, there is no such thing as a right decision," the old man explained, seemingly having read the teen's inner struggles. "What we construe as right or wrong in such matters is merely a guide set before us by morality. What one would consider to be correct under the best of intentions might merely serve to worsen a situation. The reverse also holds true. Such decisions of right and wrong lie only in the decider himself; all other opinions from unimportant parties will only serve as distractions. Think of that as you come to your decision."

"… … …I understand," Link replied after a contemplative silence. He then got to his feet and brushed away the dirt on his tunic. "Thank you for your help, Elder. I know what I need to do now. Do you mind if I asked you to look after Connor for a bit? I don't know how long I'll be gone, and I don't want him getting into trouble."

"I'd be more than happy to watch over him. You just worry about whatever it is that the princess wants you to do."

"I just have one more question," the teen said. "I've already made my decision. However, how do I know that it's something I can live with? What if I bit off more than I can chew and end up regretting it later?"

"Then it's something that you'll have to live with," the elder replied. "The future is never set in stone. We all do things that we wished we haven't done. Regrets are bound to happen in life. But what matters isn't if what we're doing can be regretted later on down the line. So long as you're comfortable with your decision, then you've no need to be afraid. Remember that courage doesn't mean that your mind should be absent of any fears. Rather, you should embrace it and allow it to give you the strength to continue on. Don't let fears of any kind hold you back. Go forth with everything you have, and proudly embrace the Mark of Courage that has been bestowed upon you!"

"…Wait a minute; how did you…?"

"You need to go, Link! The journey to Hyrule Castle is a few hours at best, and it'll be morning when you arrive. You said earlier that you only had until tomorrow morning to make your decision, so you best be there to show Princess Zelda your answer. I promise that I'll take care of Connor. Now go!"

Without another word, Link nodded his head in thanks before taking his leave. He passed the Elder's guard once again who bade him goodnight which he returned in kind. He still had some questions lingering in his mind, but it all could wait until after he was done helping the princess with her plans.

* * *

Well, I hope that you all enjoyed this new chapter. And sorry again for the two week delay. I hope that it ended up being worth the wait. Hopefully, the next chapter won't have such a long delay, but please don't hold me to it. Once this week is over, it's going to be midterms. That means next week is going to be hell to go through. Yay...!

So yeah, I only ask that you continue to be patient with me as I write out the new chapters while balancing my life of school and work. And I also hope that you enjoyed this chapter and what it had to offer. When it came to the part about the Elder, I thought that I would try to make him sound somewhat fatherly in his advice. I imagine him as someone who cares for his people and would do what he can to help those who might come to him with personal problems. I hope it ended up working with you all.

I also hope that you liked my short depiction of the sword fight between Link and Connor. While it was mainly my form of practice for writing such scenes, it was also to showcase how both of their personalities reflected in their style of fighting. Being the energetic guy he is, Connor was so gung-ho on attacking that he killed himself with exhaustion. Just thought it'd be nice added touch to their character.

And yes, the secret meeting that Xagrun and the hooded man had at the beginning of the last chapter was them going into discussions about marrying Princess Zelda. As you can see, it seems like that plan is going to go through without a hitch. Xagrun is truly desperate to make sure that he has control over Hyrule and, in essence, ownership over the three pieces of the Triforce. Something tells me that things are going to get real interesting real fast for the characters, and I don't mean that in a good way. Then again, that usually makes for a good read with you guys!

That's it with my usual crazy rants. I need to get myself ready for work anyway, so this is as good a place as any to stop. Please don't forget to leave a review before going away as it is a good form of inspiration to continue writing for both mine and your enjoyment. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!


	9. The Dawn of Dark Times

Hello everybody! Well, I managed to get this story out within a week of the last one! Amazingly enough, I seem to be able to work a bit faster during the midterms. But yeah, I'm not going to say too much this time around. I usually use firefox to post my chapters, but the browser is having trouble reading and giving access to the site. I'm using Internet Explorer, but it keeps skipping a letter I type every now and then and makes typing correctly on here very hard. As such, this note will be short as it has already taken me fifteen minutes to type this when it usually only takes five! So let me quickly get on with the reviewer comments before leaving you alone to read which will be unusually short because of this problem.

**SoulC:** I wasn't thinking about that when I wrote about the Village Elder. He was meant to be and is an original character of mine. Of course, I'm happy that you were able to catch the unintended reference I made.

**Skittycreamstar:** Yes, wouldn't it be great if she could just go all-out on Xagrun right now. But alas, she needs to wait a bit longer and suffer more of his torturous ways. Until then, she'll have to wait for her chance.

**OrangeStreakedStar:** Yeah, I never overexert myself when writing. I just write what comes to mind and hope that it works. Thankfully, it tends to work most of the time. Thanks a lot for your support!

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**Chapter 8: The Dawn of Dark Times**

An hour after the sun had risen, the wedding between Zelda and Xagrun began. Hyrule Castle had its own chapel meant for wondrous holy occasions, a building that was small in comparison yet just as grand in design. The walls were lined with colorful stain glass windows which served to give the place a happy atmosphere. Unlike the ones in the castle, these windows were merely colorful pieces of glass put together with no semblance of an image. The center of the room had a red carpet embroidered with a gold border which stretched from the entrance all the way to the altar on the other end of the building, rows of wooden benches set in an orderly fashion along either side of the carpet.

At this altar was the princess dressed in a simple yet beautiful wedding dress standing at one end with the king, dressed in his usual kingly attire, by her side. Impa was also present, although she was standing next to the entrance of the church with her arms crossed. The prince and his shadowy escort stood at the other end of the princess, both dressed as they usually were except cleaner than usual. In the case of the mysterious man, his hood was down in respect to the occasion, his black hair somewhat wild yet still presentable. He still donned his mask to keep his anonymity. The prince held in his hands a decorative sword with three jewels grafted into the hilt; an emerald, a ruby, and a sapphire, all of which shined brightly against the morning light flicking through the stained glass windows. The gems were positioned in a way so that they were surrounding Hyrule's royal crest at its center. In essence, the blade was a symbol of his accepted mergence with the Hylian Royal Family.

"You look absolutely beautiful today, Zelda," the king whispered to his daughter while adjusting her tiara. "It's such a joyful moment to be here at your own wedding! You look just like your mother when we got married."

"Thank you, father," she simply replied. She tried to sound as impassive as possible to the whole procession.

"To know that you'll be well-cared for when I'm gone does my heart good. As much as I take pride in your independence, I can't help but worry how the kingdom would take to having a princess rule young without a husband to help you along the way."

"I'm sure I would've been able to manage on my own for at least a good while," Zelda replied. She knew that her father's concerns were a mixture of both his own feelings and those implanted through the spell Xagrun cast on him. "I've yet to run into a problem I was unable to handle adequately. Surely rushing into this marriage is somewhat imprudent. I have yet to even have a hand at ruling Hyrule without your guidance yet."

"That is true. However, you are still practicing the basics of running a kingdom. As part of your practice, it would be nice to occasionally harbor the counsel of your husband. There's only so much you can do on your own. Prince Xagrun has the experience with ruling a country. Both his knowledge and resources that he will impart to us through this union will be of great benefit to you."

"…But is he truly the right man for me?" the princess asked. She was trying hard to not sound insulted at what she just heard. "Perhaps he's not the man he seems to be when he isn't before you and the royal council. As much as the keeping of a politically cordial relationship is necessary, is it worth sacrificing a comfortable private life in turn? Should my own happiness be compromised for the sake of the kingdom?"

"Of course not, my dear daughter," His Majesty assured as he placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Your happiness should be of utmost concern when considering a man suitable to be your husband. What good is a marriage if it's only done for political gain and fails to grant you the simple comforts of life?

"However, I do not see Prince Xagrun posing such a problem. He knows how to rule over the people to keep them from being unjust. It may be a bit brusque at times, but I'm sure that it's something that can be improved on with time. With you by his side offering your bouts of infinite wisdom, I'm sure you'll both be wonderful rulers of Hyrule. There's no need for you to be so hesitant with this union."

"…You're right, father. It was silly of me to worry." Knowing that she could not get through to the king, she gave up on trying to persuade him.

"Ah, the ceremony is about to begin!" the king noted excitedly as the priest came out from a nearby room. He was dressed in an immaculate white cloak that flowed down to his legs. Embroidered on both the sleeves and its front was the royal family crest. He approached the wooden pedestal and placed a book that was in his hands on top of it.

"May both the Princess of Hyrule and the Prince of Gerudo Valley please stand before me?" the priest instructed as he motioned for both royals to come forth. Both did as they were instructed.

"You look absolutely stunning today, my dear Princess Zelda," Xagrun whispered in her ear with a smile as the two stood beside each other. "That dress accentuates the color of your eyes. It suits you perfectly." Zelda merely stayed quiet as she silently prayed for this torture to be over with.

"Before we begin, allow me to confirm the validity of this ceremony. As Your Highness is not yet of proper age to made such a decision on your own, I must ask the king this question. Your Majesty, are you willingly relinquishing your daughter in respects to this holy union without any means of coercion against you?"

"I'm willingly allowing my daughter to participate in this marriage."

"And are you, Prince Xagrun, willingly relinquishing yourself in respects to this holy union without any means of coercion against you?"

"My will is mine alone to relinquish," the prince replied with a nod. "And it tells me that this marriage is the correct path of choice for me."

"Now that both parties have acknowledged their complacency, we shall now get on with the ceremony!" The priest then took a breath before starting with the traditional speech. "To all who have gathered here today; we're here to bear witness to a wondrous occasion. Our Princess of Hyrule, Princess Zelda, will join in holy matrimony with the Prince of Gerudo, Prince Xagrun. This union is not merely the joining of two kingdoms; it's also the joining of two people who are of great matter to each other. The three goddesses have no doubt given their blessings to us by simply allowing for this day to come. And it's from their blessings that…"

_Please hurry, Link!_ Zelda thought as she paid no attention to what the priest was saying. The prince could sense her discomfort but paid it no mind. Instead, he took her hand into his and held it tightly much to her disgust. Impa, who was still next to the church's entrance, silently slipped away while everybody was busy listening to the ceremony.

_-Sometime Later-_

It was a couple hours after the sun had risen when Link arrived at Hyrule Castle. The trek this time around was more cumbersome since Zelda and Xagrun were getting married. The prince's men were patrolling all roads leading to the castle and questioning everybody heading in that direction. Knowing that he would be wasting time speaking with them, he took a lot of detours which ended up making his travels longer than he intended.

Now that he was at the castle, he saw that it was pretty much the same as when he arrived yesterday. The demonstrators were still at the castle gates, but the guards were more proactive in trying to stymy the people's voices. Even from his large distance from the gates, the teen could hear the shouting associated with what was taking place.

"You can't do this to us!" one of the protestors shouted. "We have a right to be voicing our anger over what Prince Zagrun did to Faron Village."

"Don't think you're all high and mighty just because you live in a kingdom that gives you a voice," one of the guards responded. As Link drew closer, he saw one of the guards restraining a struggling protestor. "It's our duty to protect our prince, and your rowdiness threatens his very safety."

"Do you really think we're idiots?" another protestor, this one a woman, countered. "We were just as loud yesterday and you merely chose to watch. Now you're all of a sudden deciding to arrest us because we're threatening your prince? Don't make me laugh!"

"You people were already threatening enough yesterday. However, Prince Xagrun has now been married to your precious Princess Zelda. During this time of holy matrimony, any acts which can be construed as threatening to this joyous occasion is grounds to arrest any suspicious groups such as this protest faction."

"Holy matrimony, my ass! We know the princess well enough, and she'd never go through with marrying that demon! Arrest me if you want, but I'm willing to bet that your prince found a way to coerce her into this. Tell me I'm wrong!"

"The only thing I'll say is that I'll throw you into the dungeon if you don't start minding your tongue!"

"Link," the blond heard someone whispered. Turning around towards a large tree he had just passed, he saw Impa standing casually under its shade. She was dressed in the same clothes she wore yesterday minus her travelling cloak.

"I'm here to help Princess Zelda!" Link bluntly replied as he approached the woman. "I know I'm a bit late, but the roads were crawling with Xagrun's men. It's like he's not going to let anything stop this marriage!"

"Yes, he's done everything within his power to keep all distractions out. I'm afraid he's succeeded in completing the ceremony. It ended about a half an hour ago, and the two are now legally prince and princess of Hyrule."

"I-I didn't take that long getting here, did I? Does this mean I'm too late to help?"

"I don't believe that all has been lost," the woman continued. "The princess told me to meet with you and direct you to the ruins that stand behind this castle. If you were to arrive once the union was completed, then she's to wait for you in those ruins. It's a revered land that's not officially a part of the castle structure, so you can freely enter as you please. Just walk around to the other side of the castle and you'll see the ruins. Now hurry; time is no longer on our side. Now that the marriage has been officiated, there's nothing standing in the prince's way from taking rule over this kingdom!"

Without waiting for another cue, Link quickly made his way to where Impa directed him to. He knew that he let Zelda down the moment he heard that the wedding was over. She was now wife to Prince Xagrun, and said man now had the power to control Hyrule's politics without running on power given to him as a visiting royal. He knew this was something she had been trying hard to avoid, and him arriving too late to at least delay the process was his fault. But if the princess was still willing to fight and had something that only he could do, then he was going to do everything he could to do it right.

After taking a path around the castle that was not guarded by either Xagrun's men or the castle guards, he came across some ruins. The stones that littered the area were the same color as those used in the castle's construction. Their placement made it look like some buildings used to stand on that very plot of land long ago. All that was left now were piles of fallen stones and the occasional pillar that was still left standing. There was a structure near the center of the ruins which looked a lot like an altar of sorts, and it was here that Princess Zelda was sitting on the steps still dressed in her wedding attire.

"Princess!" he called out while approaching her. In turn, the princess looked up and gave a small smile upon seeing him.

"…Thank you for coming, Link," she said, not bothering to get to her feet. "I'm afraid that you've arrived too late, although I admit that part of the reason is my fault. I never meant to rush your decision like I did when I sent the letter. It's just that Xagrun decided to push things faster than I thought he was capable of doing."

"What happened? I thought there would've been at least a couple of days for me to think about what to do. How was he able to move so fast?"

"I only found out a couple hours after our meeting was cut short. I got news from my father that the prince suggested we get married. He thought it would be good for me to find a husband so I could better rule the kingdom. I've no doubt that it was Xagrun who planted the idea into his head. But even under his spell, I never thought that my own father would just so easily give me away!"

"But what's the reason for this marriage?"

"The prince has always wanted to extend his power into Hyrule," Zelda explained. "That was why he kept doing everything he could to make me sign the treaty. Now that he's married to me, he has grafted himself into the royal lineage. There's no need now for me to sign my name; he can do it himself now that our marriage has been officially recognized.

"After everything I've done, I never even thought of this ever happening!" she chastised herself. "I stood my ground against everything he threw at me and did all I could to protect the people from his long-term tyranny. All he had to do was ask my father for my hand in marriage and be done with it. Some Princess of Wisdom I turned out to be!"

"It wasn't your fault, Your Highness," Link assured, not knowing what else he could do. "You did everything you could to keep the kingdom safe. The prince was already a ruthless man to begin with. Because of that, him considering to marry you came completely out of nowhere! If not now, then he would've come up with the idea later. You couldn't have done anything to stop that, especially with the castle under his spell. But now that it's happened, we need to think about what to do next. Is there any way to stop him now?"

"…I don't know. I didn't think this far into the problem. I thought the answer would come to me if I sat here, but I haven't come up with anything in the past hour."

"Just what is this place?" the teen asked as he quickly glanced over the ruins. "Why did you choose for us to meet here?"

"This spot is an important landmark with regards to The Legend of Zelda. The building that once stood here was known as the Temple of Time. According to the legend, the Hero of Time came here during his quest to defeat Ganondorf. There was something within these walls that he needed to defeat him, although the stories are not clear as to what it was. Not many are left who know the full history of this temple, and I've yet to meet one with such knowledge. Regardless, this place played a key role in the Hero's victory. I had hoped that its significance would be enough to grant me inspiration, but it hasn't worked."

"So you're saying that this place is the same mentioned in the legend? Isn't it possible that it's just a big coincidence?"

"The old scriptures held in the Royal Library show that the temple was built a couple of centuries after Hyrule was established. That was a millennia ago. Ganondorf was said to appear at a time when the kingdom was at its height in prosperity, and that happened a few hundred years ago. Although most say it's a mere coincidence, I find that this is sufficient enough to say that the legend is real. The fact that you and I have the power of the Triforce helps to further serve as proof that the legend is a part of history."

"If it's a part of history, then isn't there something recorded in the scriptures saying how the Hero was able to stand against Ganondorf?" Link suggested. "I'm sure he didn't have it easy trying to defeat him."

"All it states is the Hero appearing before us in our time of need and how everyone was caught off-guard when Hyrule was being attacked," Zelda explained. "It makes no mention of his struggles before the fall of the kingdom nor his journey to defeat the evil tyrant. There's nothing from the past that we can use to rely upon for help."

Before she could continue on with the discussion, the Triforce mark on both Link's and Zelda's hands glowed. Noticing this, the princess looked towards the path Link took to get here and saw a man some distance away approaching them.

"Xagrun's here!" she exclaimed as she quickly got to her feet. "You need to hide!"

"And let him continue having his way with you? Sorry, but I'm not going to let him keep on pushing your around."

"Link, you're not even armed!"

"I don't care!"

"But I do!" With that, Zelda waved her arms and engulfed Link in a brilliant blue light. But instead of teleporting away like he did last time, he was still beside Zelda. The only thing he noticed different was the lack of his shadow being cast by the morning sun.

"Stay quiet and he won't know you're here," she instructed as she straightened her dress. A few seconds later, the prince arrived at the ruins.

"So this is where you ran off to, my dear," Xagrun replied as he casually shouldered his sword. His other hand was behind his back as though he were hiding something. "You had me worried when I didn't find you in your room."

"What is it you want?" Zelda bluntly asked, making it clear that he was the last person she wanted to see. Link stayed where he was and silently watched the exchange.

"There's no need to be so rude. After all, we just got married. I had hoped you would be happier about my worry for you. Nevertheless, I wanted to give you a little something. I'm sure you'll understand its meaning once you see it."

Almost immediately, the prince threw his free hand out and let whatever object was in it to roll across the floor. It soon stopped next to Zelda after running over Link's feet, and both saw that it was a gold crown which held the Royal Family's insignia on the front.

"Th-this is father's…!" The princess immediately bent down to pick up the crown and examined it. Her eyes grew in horror when she spotted a small amount of blood on it. Even Link could not help letting out a gasp in surprise, but it was in perfect unison with Zelda's that his went unnoticed. "Don't tell me that you…!"

"But of course I did," Xagrun replied with a sadistic smile. "The old man never expected a thing until I had my sword upon him. It's actually quite pitiful considering how his daughter was more informed about what was happening."

"But why did you kill him?_!_" she exclaimed, her voice cracking as she held back the tears that threatened to spill. "He wasn't in your way because of the spell you put on him!"

"On the contrary, he was always in my way. Allow me to tell you what happened in the moments before I killed him. Perhaps then you'll understand why I did so."

_-Half an Hour Ago-_

"Ah, what brings you here, my son?" the King asked as he welcomed Xagrun along with two of his own soldiers into his chambers. Both were standing in the middle of the room where he was sitting prior to the sudden visit. "I had thought that you would want to spend some time with my daughter. Now that you are married, I assume that the two of you would have many things to discuss."

"Actually, I have far more important business with you," the prince replied. His two men were standing beside the doorway looking stoic as ever. "You see, there are many things which I desire. This kingdom happens to be the very focal point of everything."

"What do you mean?"

"It is true that I came here wanting to unify both Hyrule and Gerudo Valley. However, I merely wanted the strength that is associated with this kingdom. Now that I'm married to your precious daughter, I'm officially a part of the Hylian Royal Family. As such, I can dip my hands into the vast amount of power held within this country."

"Yes, you do have a right to do so," His Majesty replied as confusion shone in his eyes. "However, such power is merely reserved for wartime. I fail to see what use you would have for it now that we are in a time of peace."

"But you see, peace is when we need to exert the most power. It's in time of peace when other countries will attempt to attack. They may view such pacifist views as weakness and use it against us. As such, I want to rule this kingdom the same as I did with Gerudo Valley. The only way to ensure the safety of our people is to militarize the nation and rule over the towns with fear and martial law. By setting an example of our strength on our citizens, other nations would think twice of attacking.

"However, I'm afraid that I lack the authority to do such a thing at my current standing," Xagrun continued as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "As the prince of Hyrule, I can only do so much on both a militaristic and political level. As such, I want to expand my rule by obtaining more power."

"And how exactly do you intend to do this?"

"By surpassing you." With that, the prince drew his sword.

"How dare you?_!_ Guards!_!_!_!_!" The King immediately looked towards the two men who were still by the doorway. They now had their weapons drawn and were approaching the desert prince. However, they merely stood behind him and made no move to do anything.

"Your precious guards can't help you. I've replaced most of them with my own, all of which are loyal to me." He then pushed the old man to the ground where he struck his head on a nearby table as he fell. His crown fell helplessly beside him as he groaned in both surprise and pain. A sword was then baring down against his chest. "It's amazing how you and the council never suspected a thing this entire time. The complacency spell I cast worked exceptionally well. It's too bad that it breaks the moment the one affected notices something that strongly goes against what they believe in. Still, it feels rather poetic that you've regained your clarity just before the moment of your death."

"P-please, you don't have to kill me!" His Majesty begged as he looked Xagrun straight in the eye. "You could simply say that I've fallen gravely ill and that you are to rule in my stead. Surely that would be a better way to usurp my power instead of murdering me!"

"I could do that, but then I run the risk of you covertly sending a message for help when I'm not looking. No, this method will ensure you won't do anything to disrupt my path to power in any way. I could easily cover up your death to public by saying you died of sudden illness and keep reasonable suspicion away from me. And since your daughter is now my wife, I can easily keep watch over her and make sure she can't call for help."

With a defeated look, His Majesty continued to stare at the prince as though he would be able to change his mind.

"You're beaten, old man. It's time for you to make your peace. But don't worry; I won't ever think of harming Zelda. After all, we are now husband and wife. I would never consider laying harm upon something that I own and use every day."

Without waiting for a response, Xagrun quickly thrust his sword down and into the King's chest. The blade pierced through his heart, and his face momentarily contorted in pain before changing into an empty expression. The prince then pulled out his sword and wiped it clean on His Majesty's clothes, causing a few drops of blood to spurt out with some landing on the crown.

_-Present Time-_

"And that's exactly what happened," the prince concluded. "Now that your father is gone, I automatically take the throne as king. And with it comes the authority to use all the power this kingdom has to offer. No longer do I have to play the role of the diplomatic prince. I can now rule Hyrule they it should be, through fear and martial law. Any who dare to stand in my way will face the consequences. To show that I'm serious, I'm going to go and make an example out of that backwater village I visited yesterday."

"But you can't do that!" Zelda exclaimed after having recovered somewhat from the shock of her father's death. "The kingdom will quickly mutiny against you the moment you do something to them."

"And that's why I'll use this opportunity to show everyone how I plan to incite martial law upon them. By instilling fear into their hearts and showing how I punish those who dare to rebel against me, they will think twice before doing anything. Since Faron Village is still fresh in my mind, I'll start there first."

It took everything Link had in him to keep from attacking Xagrun. He already had a hard time keeping his cool while the prince was bragging about how he killed the King. Now hearing that his hometown was in danger almost sent him over the edge. However, he knew that doing so was going to place Zelda in danger. That was the last thing he wanted to put her through after hearing of her father's murder.

"And don't think for a moment that I don't know about your secret meetings with the one who bears the Triforce of Courage," the prince added, much to the shock of both Link and Zelda. "I noticed my Triforce shining when I was nearing where you were skulking about yesterday. I know you found the third wielder of the sacred power. While I haven't seen him for myself who you were talking to, I have a feeling I know who it is. That's another reason why I want to go to Faron Village, so I can dispose of him. If you're nearby, then you best prepare yourself, farm boy." With that warning, he took his leave and began his journey to Link's village.

For a moment, Zelda stood frozen where she stood. The shock at losing her father and now having to contend with the fact that he people were going to suffer was a lot to take in. All that she had done to prevent this from happening was for nothing, and she could only sit back as Xagrun played every card in his hand without fear of being beaten. Without saying anything, she waved her arms once more and allowed Link to return to his physical form.

"… … …I'm sorry about your father," the blond replied out of both respect and concern. He was not sure how to approach the situation but felt it uncomfortable to stay silent. At the same time, he knew how it was like to lose a father.

"It's okay. He wouldn't have wanted us to mourn over his death like this. Rather, he'd have wanted me to continue on with his work and keep Hyrule peaceful. But now that Xagrun's appointed himself king, peace will become nothing more than a fairytale. If he goes through with making Faron Village into his example of martial law and punishment, then we'll never be the same again. …Oh no!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Link, who's looking after your brother right now?"

"Th-The village elder," Link replied somewhat confused. "But he's in safe hands. The Elder wouldn't let anything happen to the village!"

"Don't be so sure. You've already seen what Xagrun can do. Once he has his mind set on something, he'll do whatever he can to see it through. You must go home now and get your brother! Take him and hide in Kakariko Village. The town is half-owned by the Gorons, so it should be safe from his influence for the time being."

"But what about you? Are you just going to stay behind and let the prince control you?"

"No, he won't control me. And if he truly cares about maintaining his grip over Hyrule, then he wouldn't dare think of laying a hand on me. I'll be safer here where he can see what I'm doing. So don't worry about me; I'll be fine. I'll help you get a little bit ahead of Xagrun, but he will pass you soon after. Now hurry and go!"

With one last look of concern towards the princess, the teen found himself transported to the tree where he met Impa earlier. The front gates were still full of protestors, but there was no sign of the princess's loyal vassal. Instead of mulling over where she was or now the crowd was faring, he immediately began to run back to Faron Village. He knew that even though Zelda did help him get a head-start, the prince would no doubt pass him by at some point. After all, he had access to a carriage that would definitely move faster than his own two legs could. If he was going to make sure that his little brother was going to be alright, then he needed to get back home as quickly as possible!

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Well, I hope that you liked this chapter. There was a lot going on here, so I hope things ended up sounding right. This was also the longest chapter to date minus the words in the author's notes, so that really shows how much is going on. And that's all I have to say. I'm still on Internet Explorer, and the author's notes have taken considerably longer than it should because of the problem I mentioned earlier. So with that, until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody! Hopefully, Firefox will have fixed this problem by then.


	10. The Usurper's First Move

Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter after having you all wait for almost two weeks. Sorry about that. This time around, it's more of my summer job holding me back than it was summer school. You see, I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor, and I have to do report cards for the students I taught to swim. Needless to say, that process takes a while as I have to see what each kid can and can't do. And being that I'm dealing with young kids, I have to decorate their cards so they look all nice and pretty. So yeah, I'm spending a lot of time on those as it's part of my work description. Yay...

But yeah, that's pretty much my excuse why this took a while to come out. Oh, another real reason is because that this chapter has the first actual fight scene of this story. It took a bit to really get it to all flow, and I almost killed myself detail-wise when I made the fight almost too one-sided. Just read on to see what I mean by that. So with that, let me just do my usual shout-outs to my reviewers before leaving you all alone to read the new chapter.

**OrangeStreakedStar:** Yeah, I was hoping that there would be an emotional roller coaster ride with the reader. There was a lot going on there, and yet all the details fit in with that particular chapter. As such, I had decided to make the whole thing as dramatic as possible without over-saturating it like some daytime soap operas tend to do. And yes, Xagrun is now officially been elevated from tyrannical prince to usurper king. This is definitely going to be interesting.

**Skittycreamstar:** Yes, the fun is now beginning. Hopefully, this chapter will be within your definition and expectations of what kind of "fun" we're going to be having. I definitely had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope the sentiment in it reflects onto you.

**YaOfMa:** Just for the record to those of you reading this, I've already responded to his/her review via private messaging on this site. Needless to say, we had an engaging conversation which showed that we have different styles of writing. Long story short, his/her complaints mentioned in the review were all correct. The thing is that it's all about concerns related to subjective writing. I am an objective writer, and you can google those terms if you're not sure what they are as I honestly can't be bothered to explain them on here. Needless to say, his/her concerns were valid but not as of great concern to me being that I'm an objective writer. So please don't think they were trying to flame me; it was no flame and merely concerns that would've been valid were I a subjective writer.

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**Chapter 10: The Usurper's First Move**

After leaving Hyrule Castle, Link ran as fast as he could back to Faron Village! Many of Xagrun's soldiers whom he rushed past yelled obscenities at him, but he paid it no mind. All he cared about was getting home before Connor was caught in the middle of whatever the prince was planning. Not once on the path he took did he run into said man. However, he knew it did not mean he was not ahead of him if not already causing more grief at the village. Regardless, stopping now meant a lesser chance of coming home to a little brother unaffected by whatever was about to happen.

By the time the teen arrived at the village entrance, an hour had passed. He had been running the entire time and needed to catch his breath. It was during this moment or rest that he noticed the prince's soldiers standing guard along the borders keeping watch over the people. There was a good crowd of both those either trying to enter or leave, and the soldiers were preventing both from happening. They were even along the tall wooden fence which circled around the village's perimeter keeping watch for any people who wanted to sneak through by climbing over. Clearly, the prince did not want anybody who was already inside to leave and tell outsiders what was happening while also trying to keep all visitors in the dark.

"How is this supposed to be martial law?_!_" he heard one of the people shout as he leaned against a tree near the village gates. It was hard to tell from which side of the line the outburst came from, but it was clear both sides were feeling the anger over the situation. "This is nothing more than treating this village as a humongous prison!"

"A prison that you all brought upon yourselves," a soldier responded over the loud protests. "You shouldn't have bad-mouthed the prince while he was here. Did you really think he would've forgotten about it now that he's become your king?"

"Who says he's now 'our king'?" another citizen, this one a kid who looked to be as old as Connor, shouted. "Prince Xagrun stole both the throne and power from our true king. We'll never bow before him; the ones who truly rule over us will always be the King of Hyrule and his daughter Princess Zelda!"

"You know that speaking so highly and openly of a past king is considered treason," the same soldier deadpanned as he moved to apprehend the one who made the comment. "Child or not, it's an offense that could be punishable by death under martial law. Now come with us so we can decide on what we should do with you later."

"Get your hands off of him, you brute!" an adult shouted as he threw a punch at the soldier about to take away the boy. This caused a full-on brawl to ensue moments later that involved both sides of this issue. People from both sides of the village border came together to both protect the boy and attempt to drive the soldiers out. Unfortunately, the soldiers were armed and easily incapacitated them. The fact that reinforcements were coming to help quell the situation made it even less of a triumphant effort on the citizen's part.

However, all this managed to prove useful towards Link's goals of getting into Faron Village. Now that many of the soldiers were busy trying to take care of the uprising, parts of the village fence had been left unguarded. Taking advantage of this, Link quickly climbed over the fence and managed to enter undetected. He noted momentarily that getting out might prove to be more difficult, but all he cared right now was to make sure Connor was safe.

Despite the high security along the village fence and the main gate, the streets were left without any patrolling soldiers. It was understandable considering that all the citizens were busy arguing over at the gate. It just made his trip home that much easier, although it did not lessen his concerns over where exactly Xagrun was. It was clear he was somewhere in the village, but he had yet to run into him.

When he arrived at his farm, he got his answer along with a smell he remembered from a couple days ago when he witnessed a man's crops burned. Standing next to a black carriage before a field of crops and a house set ablaze by violet flames was Xagrun himself. He had a few of his men along with him, two of which were busy pouring something over the flames which made them roar with such ferocity. The chicken coop was also on fire, the chickens themselves still locked inside and clucking away frantically while being burned alive. A wood beam from the house fell as the connectors were burned away, sending a plume of ash and embers into the air.

"Wh-what the hell…?_!_" Link exclaimed as the gravity of what was happening hit him hard like a sword strike from his dad's practice sections.

"It's about time you arrived, farm boy," Xagrun said as he turned around to face the teen. On his face was the most sadistic smile the other ever saw. "I was wondering where you ran off to when I failed to find you here. However, I can comfortably assume that you made a trek to the castle. After all, you are wearing the rags common to the royal guard. I would also suppose that you were nearby when I showed Princess Zelda what I did to her fool of a father."

"Where's Connor?_!_" the blond shouted, ignoring most everything that the king said. His mind was right now running on one thought after seeing this wanton destruction of his home. "What did you do to him?_!_"

"My, such raw emotions burning through you!" the usurper condescendingly replied, his smile never once faltering. "It's amazing how you're still clear of mind. Your anger is truly remarkable but hardly intimidating."

"Answer me, you monster!" The teen began making his way towards the now King of Hyrule but was stopped by a hooded man suddenly appearing before him.

"Might I suspect that this Connor you spoke of is someone dear to you? If that's so, then you need not worry. We took precautions to extract the young boy from your dilapidated shack before burning it down." He then snapped his fingers which signaled a soldier to come out from behind the carriage. Being grabbed from behind with a knife to his throat and a hand over his mouth was Connor.

"Connor!"

"He's quite the rambunctious kid," Xagrun said at the same time Link called his brother's name. "He managed to take down one of my soldiers when they were dragging him out. He's a rather stalwart yet foolhardy boy, perhaps even more so than you."

"He's got nothing to do with whatever you're planning!" Link growled as he tried to fight past the hooded figure to no avail. "You let him go right now!"

"Hmm, I suppose I could do that. After all, I had hoped to use him as bait to lure you out. But now that you're here before me, what little use he had is now gone. Because of that, I want you to answer me this before I let him go. How would you like for him to be freed, with a punctured lung or a slit throat?"

"How is that freeing him?_!_" the teen exclaimed. At the same time, Connor started to squirm around frantically in an attempt to get away without much success. "All you want is for me to suggest how you should kill him!"

"That's only if you think of it that way. Once you see how I plan to make an example out of your ragtag village, you'll see that death is more desirable. For what you and your fellow farmers said about me when I was prince, I'm transforming this place into a prison labor camp. All who reside here will be imprisoned regardless of their age. They'll be put to work from dawn to dusk, never to stop for anything even when faced with death."

"…What kind of sick beast are you? Calling you a monster doesn't even begin to reflect who you really are! Only a demon would turn an entire village into a prison camp and make its people work themselves to death!"

"Considering the more vulgar insults I've already heard, I'll take yours as a compliment. However, I'm beginning to tire with this pointless exchange. Give me your decision now or I'll choose for you. Do you want the boy to die quickly of a slit throat or painfully slow from a pierced lung?" As he said this, the guard restraining Connor purposefully flaunted the knife in a threatening manner. "If you truly are the bearer of the Triforce of Courage as Zelda believes you to be, then making this small sacrifice shouldn't be too hard. After all, what's a loss of life here and there if it means the fulfillment of what fate has written for you?"

Instead of answering, Link let out a frustrated growl. The blaze still consuming his home still crackled away as he quickly evaluated the situation. No matter how he looked at it, things were not going to end his way. With the mysterious hooded man in between him and Connor, there was no way he could make a run to him. No matter what he did now, the end result was going to be the same. Still, he was not going to just give up without trying!

"…Are you really asking me to choose how Connor's going to die?" he asked, his tone dangerously low. "You're not going to give me more to work with?"

"I think I was being more than generous by even giving you a choice, farm boy," Xagrun replied while tapping a finger against his arm impatiently. "Don't push your luck by trying to get more than you already have."

"And what if I made my own third choice? What if I found some way now to keep you from killing him?"

"Do you take me for a fool?" the tyrant asked in an insulted tone. "Nothing in your favor is going to happen. I had my men spread word that this village is now a prison labor camp, and that caused the people to try and flee like the cowards they are. I know that they've all gathered at the front gates, and I have my guards making sure that none leave that area. The fact that you were able to sneak past them to get in is a feat itself! You'd best face the reality that nobody is coming to your aid and consider how to best answer my question. Do you or do you not want to choose how this boy dies?"

Almost immediately, a grunt of pained surprise reached everybody's ears. Looking towards where Connor and his restrainer were standing, they all saw the guard doubled over in pain. He was on the ground gripping his stomach, his grip now lost on the boy.

"Don't I even have a say in this?" he cockily asked before delivering a swift kick to the fallen soldier. "I'm not planning on being murdered anytime soon!"

"How dare you?_!_" Xagrun exclaimed as he quickly prepared in his hand a ball of violet flames. "I'll teach you to resist my soldiers!"

"Look out, Connor!" Link shouted as he pushed his way past the still distracted hooded man.

He had just barely pushed the man off his guard when the usurper king threw his ball of flames towards the young boy. It was all he could do in that brief moment to catch the brilliant violet flames rushing towards his brother!

But by some good grace of the Goddesses, the soldier that he had taken down was not yet out of commission. Just as the ball of flame left Xagrun's hands, the guard grabbed ahold of the Connor's leg and tugged him off his feet. In so doing, Connor fell back-first towards the ground and missed his head getting torched by mere centimeters. Instead, it struck the already burning house and caused a small explosion that sent embers and ashes into the air.

"You okay?_!_" the blond teen asked as he made it to his little brother's side and delivered a heavy kick to the soldier's head. Said man was immediately knocked out with a sickening crack and loosened his grip on the boy's leg.

"About time you showed up, Link!" the other exclaimed as he quickly took his brother's hand and got to his feet. He then said while pointing towards Xagrun, "That idiot over there just came and started torching the farm. I almost got my butt roasted!"

"I'm starting to think it better if you had!" the corrupt royal growled as he readjusted his gloves. "You're not even my object of interest, yet you've proven to be a thorn in my side. How you manage to even survive just now is beyond me, boy!"

"Stop calling me a boy! You're not some decrepit old man like the Village Elder. I'll bet you're not even that much older than Link!"

"Do you think I care? Let's see how well your smart mouth works after this!" With a quick flick of his wrist, he began to summon yet another ball of flames. However, it barely managed to materialize before fizzing out of existence. Seeing this, he tried once more and was met with the same results.

"You run out of fire?" Link cockily bit back, although his shoulders relaxed considerably the moment he saw the other's magic fizzing out.

"My lord, you've exhausted yourself," the hooded man said as he quickly made his way to Xagrun's side. The entire time, he held a defensive stance and was clearly prepared for any kind of attack. "I suggest you take a rest. You're not yet skilled enough to be casting magic in quick succession. Why don't you go and see how your men by the village gates are faring? I'm sure they might need some help quelling the people's unrest."

"… … …Very well," he begrudgingly conceded. He then made his way back to his carriage where his remaining conscious soldiers were waiting. "In turn, I'll leave you to take care of these two. I trust that it won't be an issue?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it had I thought otherwise," the man confidently replied. Xagrun merely nodded in approval before signaling his men to start making their way to the main gates of Faron Village.

"So now he has his lapdog cleaning up his messes?" the teen vehemently spat out. He was still next to Connor who seemed to be taking the whole ordeal somewhat well. "Just one thing goes wrong and he runs off? Some King of Hyrule he'll turn out to be."

"He hates to admit it, but King Xagrun is still in training. As such, it falls onto me to make sure that no harm befalls him while he masters his magic skills. If that means that I have to take down one of his marks, then so be it.

"However, I'm not without my own merits," he added as he began taking off his black cloak. Underneath it was a simple black shirt which clung to his chiseled body and brown pants that fluttered lightly against the breeze. His black hair flicked around a bit as parts of it snagged on the hood, effortlessly bouncing back to their original unruly position once freed. He still kept on his white mask despite it now looking somewhat out-of-place. "Unlike him, I don't do battle without first making sure my opponent is armed. Might I assume that you know how to wield a blade? After all, it'd only be natural for the wielder of the Triforce of Courage to be versed with such basic forms."

"Of course he can use a sword!" Connor blurted out. Link tried to poke at his ribs to get him to shut up, but the young boy was too fired up to either notice or care. "Our dad was once a member of the royal guard, you know? He taught us everything he knows about sword fighting, and I'll bet that it's more than enough for Link to beat you!"

"Well, it sounds like someone's full of confidence." The man then walked over towards the fallen soldier with both boys carefully watching his every move. When he arrived, he bent down and took the sword which was still holstered on the belt. He tore it away with little effort and threw it towards the blond who barely caught it. "I hope then that you'll provide me with at least a bit of entertainment before the battle is over. And to ensure that it'll be interesting, what say that you and I have a little bet?"

"Sorry, but all my money's burned to a crisp now," Link sarcastically replied as he took the sword out from its sheath and got into a ready position.

"Ah, but I believe what I have in mind would be much more valuable to you than a few paltry rupees." The man reached behind him and pulled out a pair of black glove which he then placed over his hands. "The outcome of our fight will dictate both of your fates. Should you be able to claim victory, then I'll allow you both to live. If I'm to win, then I'll do what I promised King Xagrun and end your lives. All you have to do is wound me at least one for victory to be yours. As for me, I'll have to completely incapacitate you to be considered the victor. Wouldn't you say that it's a fair wager?"

"And we're supposed to take you at your word? Isn't it naïve for one to believe what the enemy tells them?"

"Truer words have never been spoken. However, I assure you that I'm a man of my word when it comes to honorable duels. But if you're still intent on thinking otherwise, then perhaps this will provide you with incentive to believe me." With a wave of his hand, a streak of black air was left in its path. At the same time, Connor was suddenly swept off his feet and brought over the burning remnants of the house! He was left suspended up there screaming his lungs out with only the man's magic keeping him from certain doom.

"Connor! You bring him down right now!" the teen demanded as he rushed the man. The other merely sidestepped the attack.

"If that's what you want me to do, then believe in my words. If you truly care for the boy's life and don't want him to fall into the flames, then you can only save him by accepting and winning my wager."

"And how am I supposed to win when you can use magic like that?_!_ You've already set me up to fail!"

Not if I agree to put myself at a handicap of sorts. In exchange for you using whatever techniques you know of, I'll rely on nothing but my bare hands. You'll have more than a good chance at winning under those conditions. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Just do it, Link!" Connor shouted, his voice wavering a bit from panic. "I don't wanna burned to a crisp. Just fight him and get me down from here!"

Instead of answering, Link merely glared daggers at the man. He did not want to admit it, but it seemed like fighting was the only way to get out of this mess. Even though he was still distrustful of the man, he was willing to take whatever chance he could get to find a way out of this already hopeless situation.

"I'll take your silence as agreement. In that case, let's not waste any more time. You best prepare yourself, because I promise that I'm just as deadly even at a handicap."

Without waiting for another response, the once cloaked man rushed towards Link with a fist ready for a punch. It was all the teen could do to stumble backwards to dodge the blow! Not wanting to be caught off-guard again, he immediately regained his battle stance while dodging another hit. This time, he managed to pull off a counterattack but completely missed when the man effortlessly sidestepped it.

Instead of taking the chance to strike at Link, the man merely backed off and created a rift between them. The blond could not help but be confused about it for a second. The chance for him to have been taken down was there, so why did he not take it? Was it because this man was merely toying with him? Either that or he was cocky enough to think that willingly passing on an opportunity to end the battle meant nothing to his overall ability to win.

Choosing not to dwell on it, Link quickly recovered and went for another strike. Just like it was the last time, it proved futile and struck nothing but air. Determined to at least land one blow, he continued to swing at the man much like Connor swung at him during sword practice yesterday. The only difference was that Link kept control over his energy and conserved when he needed to. Unfortunately, it did not do a lot a good even when one of his hits made a direct hit. What made it no good was that it landed on the man's hand which he had used to both catch and stop the blade with little effort!

"Is this really the best you can do?" he asked a shocked Link who was trying hard in vain to pull the blade away. "I was expecting a better fight when you said you knew of swordplay. Oh well, I suppose one can't always have everything." He then quickly pulled the teen towards him while sending a hard punch to the stomach. Letting go just as the hit connected, it sent the blond flying a few feet backwards where he landed on his back with a pained grunt.

"H-how did…you do…th-that?_!_" Link managed to cough out while struggling to get back up. Connor was screaming in support from his place of imprisonment but was quickly silenced when he was suddenly violently jolted about.

"I suppose I failed to mention that I'm a melee combatant," the man casually replied in a cocky tone. "I'm sure you've already noticed, but I've trained long enough in order to anticipate your movements and know when to strike. And as for being able to catch your sword without any fear of injury, I have these gloves to thank." He then waved both arms in front of him as though showing off some new toy. "They're made from dragon hide and dipped in a solution of powdered dragon scales. The combination is enough to make these invulnerable to pretty much everything. They're wonderful creations, aren't they?"

"B-but you said…you weren't going to…be using magic!" the other countered as he shakily got to his feet. "The force I used…should've been enough…to at least break your hand! How else could you've withstood it?"

"That's merely a byproduct of my extensive training. The ability I have for my hands to withstand a sword blow has nothing to do with magic. As such, you should be able to beat me while I'm on my handicap. Come now; show me what you can really do."

Gritting his teeth, Link mustered all his strength and charged towards the man. Once again, he was in an attacking frenzy. As accurate as some of his strikes were, all were either sidestepped or caught and later discarded by his hand. And on the off-chance there was no evasive maneuvers, the man used his hands as a shield to deflect the blows!

This pointless exchange of blows went on for a couple of minutes. For every strike that Link delivered, it was either dodged or caught. The man rarely ever attacked, but the times he did were always when he caught the sword and left the teen vulnerable. It was clear by this alone that he was toying around with the teen. There have been many times when the battle could have been over, yet the man chose to let it continue. If anything, it showed that he had a sadistic side and enjoyed watching the struggle to win a one-sided fight.

By this time, the teen was now exhausted. While the hits he took were small in number, they were all very powerful. His body felt sore, his chest feeling the worst due to a broken rib. It took all he had to stay standing let alone keep his sword at the ready for another strike.

On the other hand, the man still looked as he did when the battle first began. His mask was still on properly, having shown no signs of being knocked askew the entire time. His whole demeanor was reflective of not having even been in a battle. The only sign that he was fighting was the fact that he was not wearing his cloak. Right now, he was busy flexing his hands into fists repeatedly, the occasional crack of his knuckles breaking past the sounds of the burning house.

During the entirety of the battle, Connor had been shouting words of encouragement to Link. But every time he did that, the man would violently jostle him and turn him around in a dizzying circle to shut him up. By this time, the boy was now silent either in fear of being jolted about or nauseous from the repetitiveness of it. Even so, the wild flailing of his arms were enough to show his support, although it did little to really help the teen out.

"I'd be lying if I said this wasn't amusing," the man sadistically said while nonchalantly watching the teen. "You've been trying so hard just to land a hit on me, yet all you've done was exhaust yourself. It's disappointing that a piece of the Golden Power chose to bestow itself onto you. Then again, your tenaciousness to save the boy is reflective of a courageous heart. Still, such a trait pales in comparison to being able to effectively wield a sword. Clearly, you aren't yet ready to take on the task bestowed upon all wielders of the Triforce of Courage!"

Link chose not to answer and instead let his eyes wander about the area. He knew he had to come up with a new plan quickly, but there was hardly anything around that was left intact which he could use. He was already using the still unconscious soldier's sword, and he doubt he had time to don the man's metal armor for better protection. The only other thing that he could possibly use was the knife that almost took Connor's life. Unfortunately, the last thing he needed was to use a weapon that required even closer contact than he was right now having. Yet at the same time, perhaps being so close would be beneficial as he would be up in the man's punching space. Such close proximity would surely cause him to hesitate somewhat, and that might be just the opening he needed to land a hit.

"Why so quiet now?" the man asked, clearly not noticing the gears being put to work in Link's head. "You're not thinking about giving up, are you? Please don't; this fight has only started to get interested."

"I don't know about your definition of interesting, but I'm not giving up," the teen replied as he readied himself for another attack. "I was just thinking about how I can break through your defense and beat you!"

"Well, you're definitely a tenacious one. That's what I'd hoped you would say. If you still have the strength to fight, then come at me with what little you have left. I have all the time in the world to play with a hopelessly desperate boy such as you. But I promise you this," he added while reassuming his casual fighting stance. "However many times you try to strike at me, however admirable your intentions may be, will prove to be futile!"

This time with a concrete plan in mind, Link went in for another attack. However, he was now keeping an eye open for where the knife fell to. He lost track of it during the chaos that ensued before this battle, and he was now trying to look for it under the guise of trying to strike down the man. For the most part, he knew he was going to be safe as the other was merely trying to prolong this.

In the meantime, the man continued on with his casual dodging and blocking the sword with his hands. He could tell Link was tired and was willing to further prolong the torture. He caught the blade a few times but merely threw it to the side along with the teen. Unbeknownst to him, however, that was exactly what the blond wanted.

After about a minute of being helplessly tossed around, Link finally found what he was looking for. From where he had just landed, the knife was a few feet towards his left hiding out in a patch of semi-tall grass. Now that he knew where it was, all he had to do was set himself up for the right moment for when he could use it. For this to work, he needed the man to be closer than he was. Right now, he was a bit too far away and would notice the moment he picked up the knife.

"You seem to be slowing down," the man stated obviously. "Has fatigue finally started to take its toll?"

"I still…got some fight left!" Link exclaimed, trying his best to sound convincing despite the heavy puffs of air. "How about you? Are you…getting bored yet?"

"On the contrary, this is the most amusement I've had in days. You might just be a farm boy, but you have the tenacity of a warrior. Your fighting style is crude, yet it holds hints of the professionalism that was used to teach you. Your movements truly are remarkable. Had we met under different circumstances, I think I would've grown to like you."

"Well, I'd still…hate you regardless!" The teen started to slowly move towards the knife which effectively widened the gap between the two combatants. He had moved a few of steps past it before stopping. "Anyone who works for Xagrun…is an enemy to me."

"Does that include the soldiers who're no more than pawns in this game of politics?" the man questioned as he took a few steps forward. He stopped short of the knife still lying hidden close to his feet. "Most don't know what King Xagrun is truly planning, so can you really fault them for aiding him in his conquest?"

"It doesn't take a genius to know he's ruining innocent lives." Link had finally caught his breath but was still really tired. "Even if his soldiers don't know his real plans, they have enough sense to know his tactics are underhanded and tyrannical. To still work for him while knowing that means they share responsibility in all this!"

"Under that assumption, you'd be right. However, I care little for your philosophy in such views. If your intent right now is to stall, then you best stop altogether. All this talk is beginning to bore me."

"That makes two of us."

Without warning, the teen went in for another strike. Despite the suddenness, the man was not caught off-guard. Just as it was before, he continued to block every strike with his hands and dodged whenever appropriate. Everything was the same just as Link predicted it would. All he needed to do now was wait for that one moment when he could make his move, and he knew it was not too far off from coming.

After a few blocks and dodges, the man caught Link's sword once more. However, what happened next was different from before. Just as he was about to throw both the sword and teen to the side, the blond let go of it and ducked down. He then picked up the knife just as the sword was being tossed away. Taken aback by the sudden change in tactics, the man tried to recover by attempting to punch the other with his free hand. Unfortunately for him, he was a bit too late and ended up with a large gash along his forearm.

"Damn it!_!_!" he shouted as he instinctively brought his other hand over the deep wound. Using this moment, Link quickly stood up and took another swing. He had intended to swipe at the man's chest, but his fatigue caused him to miss considerably. Instead, he struck at the mask just as the man was retreating backwards and caused it to fall. In a split second, the man literally glided towards his discarded cape and quickly wrapped it around him, taking care to cover up his face with the fabric with the exception of his piercing blue eyes.

"Humph, you caught me off-guard there," he growled while fastening his cloak so it would stay put when he let go. He then picked up his mask which had fallen next to him and saw that it was damaged from the knife swing it took before tucking it into his cloak and putting pressure on his wound. "To think that I missed a knife that was right next to my feet! And you used both my and your repetitive battle tactics as a way to fool me into misreading you. All I can say is that you got lucky this time!"

"Hey, I needed at least a little bit of skill to have slashed your arm open," Link proudly countered while keeping his knife at the ready. "You can't that all of it was just luck. But never mind about that; I think there's a little something you have to do. After all, I did just win my end of the bet."

"And that you did, boy. Like I said, I'm a man of my word." With merely a nod of his head, he brought Connor down from his suspension over the burning house and safely to the ground next to Link. No sooner had his feet reached the ground did he become enveloped in a tight embrace by the blond.

"Whoa! What's with the rush of affection, Link?" the boy asked, although his voice clearly showed he was not objecting. He then added while returning the gesture, "It's not like you to be all touchy-feely."

Link merely stayed quiet and kept his younger brother in the tight embrace. It was only when they heard an obnoxious clearing of a throat did they let go.

"As touching as this all is, I must be going now," the man said. "Thanks to you, I now have a wound that needs to be tended to. But don't worry, I'll keep my other end of the deal and let you both live. However, it'll be interesting to see just how long you two can survive when this village is transformed into a prison camp!"

"What?_!_ You're not going to let us out?" Connor exclaimed. "You said you were going to let us live if Link won. Leaving us in here is no better than you killing us right now!"

"That's true, but he never once specified exactly how he wanted to live should he have won. If you do survive the prison conditions, then let this be a lesson that you should make sure to cover all your bases before making a bet. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a newly crowned king I need to attend to."

"Hey, don't you run away!" Connor was about to chase after the man, but he was suddenly pushed back into Link who barely recovered from the change in weight. Said man continued to walk down the path that Xagrun had taken minutes ago, his unwounded arm retracting back to his wounded one.

"Great, now what're we gonna do?" the boy grumbled after getting back on his own feet. "Xagrun and his stupid strong lapdog aren't going to let us out anytime soon. If they think I'm going to do whatever they're going to make us do in a prison camp, then they got another thing coming to them!"

"Look, the important thing is that we're both alive," Link replied, his body feeling a bit heavy now that the adrenaline from fighting had worn off. "We can figure out how we're going to get out of here some other time. Right now, we need to relax and think about what we're going to do next."

"What else is there to do? Those guys torched our home to the ground! All of our money and food were in there. I'm sure the other villagers are kind of having the same trouble as we are, so asking them for help isn't going to work. And we can't get out of here what with the soldiers keeping watch over the main gate and border fence. Let's just face it; we're royally screwed here!"

"That's not helping, Connor. Look, just stop thinking that we're screwed and figure out something we can do. I'm sure we'll think of something if we just…give it…some… …"

Link never got to completely finish his thought. His vision suddenly started to turn dark, and he felt his body sinking towards the ground. The last thing he remembered hearing before completely losing consciousness was that of his little brother calling out to him.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I really do hope that you all enjoyed it and the fight scene. Because of that, it has officially made this chapter into the longest I've ever written for this story minus the author's notes and reviewer shout-out sections. And for those of you who remembered me mention earlier that I almost killed myself in this chapter, I'll explain.

For those of you who have Skyward Sword, you'll probably noticed that I modeled the cloaked man's fighting style after a boss named Ghirahim. I was writing out the entire section while listening to his boss theme! Unfortunately, I almost made him too good as I found it almost impossible for Link to win after writing 2/3 of the fight scene. However, I then remembered having written about Connor being held at knife point by the unconscious guard and just winged it from there. Thankfully, everything turned out okay and Link was able to eek out a miracle win.

But yeah, this just goes to show how dangerous this man is. He's not just some shadowy figure following Xagrun, he knows how to fight even when having put himself under a severe disadvantage. And in terms of his gloves, I just completely made it up. Tough leather made from dragon hide and dipped in a liquid solution of powered dragon scales. I thought it'd sound cool if I used dragons, and I figured their uncommon appearances in the Zelda franchise would make it sound like his gloves are a kind of rare commodity.

So, I'll go ahead and shut up now. Thanks for reading this new chapter. Don't forget to leave a review before moving onto the next story you want to read saying if there's anything that concerns you or you feel confused about. I'm always happy to answer whether on here or through private messaging through this site. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here!


	11. A Collective Reprieve

Hello everybody! Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter out. I had to deal with the end of my summer job which involved a lot of work. Then I had to deal with some of my classes giving me a second midterm on top of getting us to start studying for the finals two weeks from now. And on top of that, I ended up getting sick and drugging myself out on cold medicine! Yes, I had quite the crazy past two weeks on my end.

But yeah, all of that except for the finals has come to pass. As such, I was literally able to whip up this chapter within the past three hours in an attempt to catch up on the chapters I'm behind on. That and I did feel bad for having made you guys wait a somewhat long time for no reason. So sorry again for that, and I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Speaking of long waits, the next couple of weeks might show no action from me. As I mentioned earlier, finals is starting in two weeks for me. As such, my time should be concentrated on studying rather than writing new chapters for this story. So just as a heads-up for you all, I might not post any chapters in the next couple of weeks. If I do, then consider it to be a minor miracle on my part!

Now that all of that's out of the way, I'll leave you alone to read the new chapter. Just let me quickly give a shout-out to all of you who reviewed my last chapter. Thanks again for it, and please continue to send me your constructive criticisms to me. Not only are they morale boosters; they also help me to see things that I might've missed but you caught or anything that you might be confused on.

**OrangeStreakedStar: **Yeah, I figured the dialogue at that part when Link ran into Xagrun was going to be a bit confusing as to who was talking. I will admit that I have a slight hard time making sure all the talking is clear when there are three or more characters in one scene. Writing it out in script form is easier, but that wouldn't look nice in this particular written application. Still, I'm glad you liked the chapter overall despite that. And yes, that masked man is creepy, a trait that I accidentally put in while writing the fight scene that ended up working!

**Skittycreamstar:** Oh yeah, Ghirahim-like character here to spice things up now! But seriously, I felt it'd be good to show the masked man having that kind of temperament and fighting style like Ghirahim did. It was meant to help show that not only could he be a calm and calculating man but also a rightfully feared fighter. The fact that he's so much more adept at magic than Xagrun was also meant to help show just how much power he really has. And like I mentioned to **OrangeStreakedStar**, I unintentionally made the man seem more sadistic during the fight scene. I honestly didn't mean for that to happen, but it ended up working out all while I was writing off the top of my head. And about all your assumptions about what's going to happen next, just read on.

**etao:** Even though it's just two simple words, thanks for the review and your show of support for this story. To be honest, I'd prefer maybe a little bit of criticism or what you feel would make the story better. Still, thanks for your support, and I hope you'll continue reading my future chapters!

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**Chapter 10: A Collective Reprieve**

It had been a couple of days since Xagrun decided to transform Faron Village into the Faron Prison Camp. All of the villagers were now prisoners, young and old alike forced to work on menial tasks from dawn to dusk and during the times they were to sleep. The village gates were now heavily guarded by the king's men, each one heavily armed and prepared to kill any who dared to either sneak in or out. It was meant to be a sign to all other pockets of civilization in Hyrule, and all took it gravely.

Princess Zelda was doing all she could to stop the hemorrhaging of morale because of the grim change. While she did meet the necessary requirements to become the kingdom's queen, she ceded that right much to Xagrun's chagrin. While her ability to help her people would have been easier with the powers of a queen, she was not about to stoop so low as to accept a title that had been bought by her father's blood. As such, the people were still voicing their support for her despite her now understandable lack of adequate action.

Unfortunately, Xagrun had more authority over her and often shot down every chance she took at bettering the lives of those in the prison camp. Every written decree she passed to him was promptly rejected without a second glance. The only thing he could not stop was her willing appearances to the prison camp and making minute changes to ensure the proper treatment of her people. Right now, he was in his royal quarters at his desk where Zelda's latest proposal for better conditions sat staring up at him.

"Did you want to see me, my liege?" the cloaked man's deep voice asked right after entering the room. His mask was now repaired from the fight he had with Link and rested comfortably over his face.

"Yes, there are a couple of things I wish to discuss with you," the usurper king replied, now abandoning his work and concentrating his attention to his shadow. "First, I want to hear your opinion regarding that farm boy. You told me you let him live and instead let him become a prisoner. I understand I only asked you to take care of him, but letting him live was not what I had in mind. How sure are you that it is a good idea?"

"The boy hardly has any skills worth mentioning over," the hooded man stated. He had subconsciously brought a hand over to his right forearm. "He might've managed to get a hit on me, but that was merely dumb luck. His fighting style is shoddy and crude, so he doesn't have any chance to fight out of the heavy security you placed around Faron Village. And without the refinement of his skills from a professional, there's no way he'll ever be able to fight his way out. I wouldn't be worrying too much over him."

"But what about his supposed mark of the Triforce? You said that I needed to find all three pieces in order to obtain ultimate power. If he really has the Triforce of Courage, then why aren't we proceeding with the ceremony this very moment?"

"Because we still require one more important relic before the ritual can commence. The Triforce of Power you have is nothing more than proof of your lineage at best. The one who had the original, Ganondorf, is still very much alive. He's merely imprisoned within the Realm of Existence and Nothingness and thus still has the original mark on him. Yours is merely a cheap imitation so as to keep it tied to this realm. As such, your presence at the ritual isn't adequate enough for it be completed. We need something that can work as a representation of Ganondorf for it to work. So unless you want to be killed by the ritual itself for being the false bearer of the Triforce, I suggest you exercise patience."

"…You know, you always have a way to keep me from power every time I take one step closer to it," Xagrun replied, suspicions dripping heavily in his voice. "I'm starting to think if you're merely wanting to have it for yourself."

"Believe me when I say I have no want for such power," the hooded man calmly said. "I merely want to bring its presence into our world. Merely having it exist in this land will be enough to incite changes. Its power is so grand; the land around it will morph into a reflection of the hearts of people near it. So what need do I have for its physical power when I can merely stand near it and watch it change the land by itself?"

"The more you say you don't want its power, the less convinced I become. You may not want the power itself, but you just wanting to witness it is more than enough for me. And even if that weren't the problem, your actions have proven suspect to me. You never once introduced to me the entirety of this plan of yours. You only tell me what I need to know when I have to do it. I find that rather distrustful, and I don't like untrustworthy people. As such, your services are no longer required. I no longer require your aid."

"Are you sure you want to do that, my liege? You know that I'm the only one who knows of and is willing to indulge to you the intricacies of this ritual. Like it or not, you will need my help later on."

"Your 'help' is appreciated but no longer needed," the king countered. "I've done my own research in this castle's royal library. I know exactly what it is I need to find for the ritual to work. I've also learned how it should be done so as to summon the Golden Power. I've learned more about the process than you've told me of. That's why I no longer trust you and ask that you leave my presence!"

"…Do you really think that you'll be able to do all this on your own?" the cloaked man asked after a moment of silence. "There have been some points I've mentioned about the ritual which were never mentioned in any book. And need I mention that I helped to steer our plans down the right path whenever it strayed? Whether you trust me or not, know that you still need my help."

"I beg to differ on that. However, I tire of this discussion. Leave and never grace my sights again."

"… … …Very well. If that's what you want, then I'll honor your wishes. However, I'm sure you remember how to contact me should you ever change your mind." The cloaked man then turned around and left Xagrun's chambers.

"…Humph, good riddance with him!" the king grumbled as he returned to working on the papers on his desk. "Now that he's gone, perhaps I'll finally be able to progress with this at the pace I want."

_-A Few Hours Later-_

Link awoke to a dull pain in both his chest and pain. Wincing as he struggled to sit up, he was momentarily blinded with the sun directly in his eyes. It was only after he adjusted to the light did he figure out he was outside under the protective shade of trees. However, they along with the unusually cool air were not akin to the area around Faron Village.

"About time you woke up, Link," a light baritone voice said before he could have a chance to take in his surroundings. "I was starting to get a bit worried."

Startled, he started searching for the person. He soon found him a few feet towards his left, a man sitting next to a pot over a dying fire and cutting his black hair with a dagger. He was dressed in a simple brown tunic over a black long-sleeved shirt and pants. Were it not for the cleanliness and care that was put into maintaining the clothes, he looked like a commoner. That and his sharp blue eyes looked like they were constantly scanning the area.

"Who're you?_!_" Link demanded as he tried to get up. However, he only ended up hissing at the sharp pain he felt in his stomach.

"I suggest you don't move around too much," the man bluntly explained as he continued to cut his hair. "You were pretty beaten up when I got to you. That man you fought really did a number on you, a couple of broken ribs and some internal bleeding. If I didn't get to you when I did, you'd be in worse shape if not dead."

"…Wait a minute; you're the guy who handed me the princess's letter the day before the village was under siege!" the teen exclaimed as he suddenly realized who the man was. "I'm guessing you don't work for Xagrun then?"

"If I did, then I would've left you and your brother to rot in what's now a prison camp. I swear; it was an effort just to get you out much less your talkative brother."

"Connor's here?" The teen immediately went into protective mode the moment he heard mention of his brother. He started to frantically turn his head in every direction to look for him but saw nobody. "He isn't hurt or anything, is he?"

"He's been busy asking me about a lot of things while you were knocked out. If that's how he usually acts, then he's as fine as he'll ever be. I got him gathering us some firewood right now, but he should be back soon. He wasn't too happy when I had him doing some work, but threatening him with no food changed his mind quick."

"Yeah, he's definitely fine if he's acting like that. I guess that means the both of us owe our lives to you."

"If you want to owe it to someone, then give it to Princess Zelda," the man coolly replied. He then put his dagger into its sheath resting on his hip before brushing a hand over his hair to let any stray strands fall away. "It was because of her foresight on this matter that she had me come to you. I was to escort both you and your brother out of Faron Village."

"She had you help us get out of there?"

"Of course she did. She's not going to let the one whom she knows to be the descendant of the Hero of Time to just die. However, I was expecting more of an easier time in getting you out of there. I last thing I thought of doing was lugging your unconscious body around. Just made things harder, you did. Still, I couldn't believe the beating you took. The story Connor told me about how you saved him makes it sound more unbelievable."

"You're talking about that masked man, aren't you? Who is he? He acts like a regular person but fights like a monster."

"Monster is putting it lightly. Many consider him to be a demon. Nobody knows what his name is, but all have agreed that he should share the namesake as that of a Demon Lord from years past. He's known as Ghirahim."

"Tch, I've heard stories about that demon guy," Link stated. "I used to tell it to Connor when he was little to scare him. If I remember, he's supposed to be some crazy good swordsman who likes to mess with his combatant. I always added in the part that he hides in the trees in wait for that one person who dares to wander from home at night. I guess if you think about it, that masked man does have some similarities with that demon."

"Except that the Demon Lord was said to be just a sadistic monster," the man clarified. "When it comes to the man you fought, he follows a strict code of honor and never breaks it. He always makes a deal with those he feels completely inferior to him for freedom in exchange for harming him just once. His skill with his hands is unparalleled; very few have ever crossed paths with him and lived. The fact that you're here now despite having significantly less skill with a blade than his past opponents is in itself a miracle!"

"But how's he able to not only block my sword with his hands but also catch it? He said his gloves help prevent them from being sliced up, but there's no way he can't feel anything. I mean, I was really swinging at him! Just the speed at which the sword hit him should've been enough to really bruise his hands."

"And that's why they named him Ghirahim. He's definitely a human, but yet he's able to fight in exactly the same manner as the Demon Lord! I can only guess that he trained vigorously in the ways of the Sheikah as their fighting style is of both fists and sword. Still, the technique of catching an opponent's sword is extremely difficult to master. All who attempted to learn it have failed to acquire the hand endurance needed to withstand a heavy strike."

"Who're the Sheikah?" Link asked with a raised eyebrow. Amazingly enough, he found himself comprehending to some degree most of what was being thrust into his head. "I've never heard of them before."

"I'm not surprised you don't know. Only members of the Royal Family and their close affiliates would have knowledge of them. I suggest you listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once.

"The Sheikah are a group of people that came to exist a generation or two after Hyrule officially rose as a kingdom," he explained. "Because the realm was so young, times were very rocky. Neighboring kingdoms weren't comfortable about having a new realm so quickly rising in power. Rumors were going about that the entire land was planning to go to war against us. Some went so far as to say that there was an assassination plot against the entire Royal Family. Because of that, the Sheikah Tribe was born.

"The tribe consisted of Hylian soldiers who excelled in both combat and reconnaissance. By establishing their existence, the Royal Family would then create an underground information network. Through it, they would be able to learn which rumors were just that and who within the neighboring kingdoms were a threat. Because of it, the king at the time was able to appease most of his neighbors' unrest through treaties that was of mutual benefit. Of course, he only knew of how to best appease them through the Sheikah Tribe's network.

"Over time, the group has changed from simple reconnaissance to also protecting the Royal Family from a distance. They are always informed of when they are to leave the castle, and the Sheikah take care to guard them from harm without being seen. They've produced their own fighting style that they still use to this day. Their sense of duty is just as strong as the day the tribe was first created!

"After the events of the Hero of Time, they've been told the story regarding the Triforce," the man said as he now looked at Link. "Because of their excellent ability to gather information, they would easily know who has the Triforce of Courage as that brand is the most elusive to find. In so doing, the Royal Family would then do their best to protect this individual in case the time arises that he must fulfill his role as legend dictates. They would offer him a position in the Royal Army while the Sheikah provides him with all the training necessary to make him into a fine warrior. All of it was for both his protection and preparation for a battle that only he could win.

"After Ganondorf's defeat many years ago, there hasn't been a moment when the Hero of Time's descendant's aid was needed. But now that Xagrun has become king of Hyrule, it seems as though Princess Zelda's premonitions were correct. Everything that has happened thus far has in some way coincided with the legend of the Hero of Time. At this rate, he will surely make his presence known once again! Because of that, it now falls upon my shoulders to train you, the next Hero of Time, and prepare you for what's to come."

"W-wait; you're going to train me on how to fight against a man who nearly took over the kingdom?" Link asked once the explanation was over. He slowly got onto his feet and was met with little pain for his efforts. "I'm still not sure if I believe in the legend! But even if I did, I don't think we have that much time for me to learn. Xagrun's probably already trying to find out how he's going to be summoning Ganondorf from that nothingness realm he was taken to. And what makes you qualified to teach me about fighting, anyway?"

"Oh, did I not mention it already? I'm a member of the Sheikah Tribe." Link's mouth practically fell open in shock when he heard this. "I've grown up learning everything there is to know about Hyrule's legacy. I've mastered all of my training and am considered to be one of the top ranking warriors of the tribe. Because of that, Princess Zelda not only instructed me to get you out of Faron Village but to also train you in the ways of the sword. I think that's more than enough qualification for me to be teaching you."

Instead of answering, the teen merely nodded his head. The shock was slowly leaving his system, and his head was starting to hurt from the information bombshell he was given. He had to sit back down to keep from falling down.

"I think that's enough talking for now." The man then went back to the now dead fire and took a ladle that was in the pot. Taking a bowl resting on a nearby stump, he poured the contents into it before taking it to Link. "Right now, you should be concentrating on getting better. It'll take some time for your wounds to heal, and I'd rather you get better soon so we can start our training."

"And I'm guessing what you're giving me is going to help me heal faster?" the blond asked as he accepted the bowl and looked at its contents. In it was a liquid that looked almost broth-like with some herb pieces floating on the top.

"It's a medicinal soup meant for internal injuries. The recipe is from an old Sheikah woman who specializes in medicine. Most of her stuff tastes terrible, but I managed to make this one taste better. Trust me; it tastes fine and works wonders!"

Deciding to take his word for it, Link brought the bowl to his lips and took a tentative sip. When the medicine hit his tongue, he immediately noticed that it tasted almost like a simple soup he sometimes made at home. Realizing that the man was right about it tasting good, he went and took a bigger sip. The effects were quickly taking place, and he could feel his sore ribs dulling down slightly.

"…Oh, I never caught your name!" Link said once he finished the medicine. "I don't think training's going to work well if I don't know what to call you."

"Yes, I suppose a name would be good if we're to be together for a while," the man said as he took the now empty bowl and put it back on the stump. "My name's Gimari."

"Good to meet you, Gimari," the teen greeted with a smile. "And thanks again for helping me and Connor out."

"Alright, Gimari; I got your stinking wood for you!" Connor's familiar whining tone suddenly cut in. "I don't know why you're making me get it every time. Do you know how heavy these logs can get? I almost fell on a rock when I tripped…! Link!_!_!"

Without any warning, the sound of logs falling to the ground combined with the crashing of a body and loud yelps of pain. Some birds that were some distance away took flight upon the loud combination of noises.

"Link, are you okay? How you feeling? You've been out for a while now, you know?"

"Get off of me, Connor!" Link exclaimed in pain as his little brother was busy hugging and crushing his bruised ribs. "You're hurting me!"

Instead of complying, the young boy merely squeezed tighter and forced out of the blond another yelp of pain. Gimari merely looked at this happy reunion with an amused smile while pouring out another bowl of the medicinal soup. After all this brotherly-induced pain was over, he was sure Link would be begging for another dose to help ease his suffering.

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Well, that's it. Is it just me, or is Link asking more questions with every new chapter that comes around? I certainly didn't intend for that to happen, but it's understandable since everything is kind of happening all at once. I'm sure I'd be blowing up with questions if I were in his position. Oh wait, I kind of am since I'm creating this story off the top of my head and have to come up with suitable explanations that make sense!

In regards to the history of the Sheikah, I thought it'd be cool to have my own twist as to how they were formed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the game really expanded much on the history of the group apart from saying they were the protectors of the Royal Family and all that. So I just hope that you all liked to some degree my interpretation of their past history.

And I also tried to add a little bit in regards to Wind Waker. For those of you who remember the wonderful soup that heals everything and has two servings, that's how I modeled the medicinal soup that Link was drinking. I figured that he was going to need some medicine to heal his injured ribs and whatever kind of internal injuries he suffered.

And about the new character I just introduced. I'm sorry if his name is too interesting or random. I've been busy playing the HD remake of Final Fantasy X, and there's a character named Kimahri in it. I liked how the name was sounded out, and I figured I would try to put it in for this character. On that note, "Gimari" is pronounced just like "Kimahri" but with a "G" sound instead of the "K". If you don't know how to sound it out, just look for a clip on youtube of Final Fantasy X where Kimahri's name is being said. Being that an audio aid exists, there's no need for me to go sounding it out on here like I did for Xagrun's name.

With all that said, I hope you liked this chapter. This was meant to be informative and a wind down from the crazy action that was packed into the last chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought of it and what, if anything, I missed or you believe I missed. Also, anything that you feel I could do better is also appreciated. After all, I'm sure there are some of you who don't believe that this is just some amazingly perfect piece of work which it obviously isn't. Until the next review on this or any of my other stories everybody!


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